Mending a Broken Heart
by Warrior Angel 24
Summary: After finding out about her pregnancy, Tara moved to England to start over...there she found support in Giles and comfort in Faith...the story takes place before 'Forever you'
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimers:_

_This is the third and final part of "Forever You" series…maybe in order to understand some facts in this story you'd better read that one first._

_Tell me if you like it…_

_Enjoy,_

_WA_

Part 1 – A New Beginning

The moment the gates of terminal one at Heathrow airport opened, Giles heart sank at the image of a devastated young woman coming through. Tara was carrying very little luggage as if she hadn't had time to pack or as if she was running from something or maybe someone. Touched by the sorrow emanating from the blonde's eyes, he put aside all British formality and opened up his arms for her to fall into; and she did

"It's okay" he tried to sooth her "everything is going to be fine"

"I c-c-couldn't stay" she sobbed "I…I had to get away…I'm s-s-so s-scared"

"It's alright my dear…you're safe now" he whispered softly

The ride home was filled with silence and tears, Tara didn't offer much of explanation and Giles respected that, he knew the blonde witch was grieving and that she would come forward when she was ready. They arrived at his house and he accommodated her in the guest room; still not a word was exchanged except for an offer for food and beverage which she politely decline. After setting her luggage down, Giles was about to excuse himself from the room when Tara called him

"Giles" he turned to look at sad blue eyes "I'm sorry for coming here like that" she began "I k-k-know you must be wondering why I came and…" he silenced her with a gesture

"You don't have to explain it now" he offered removing his glasses "we can talk later…maybe at dinner time?" she nodded mutely "fine then…you rest now, I'll come to get you later"

"Thank you" she whispered, he closed the door and she fell on the bed sobbing again

Later that day, they had a quiet dinner that Giles had prepared for them and Tara filled him with all the events that had transpired after his departure; she told him everything about how Willow had been so engrossed in magic that she couldn't see clearly anymore; she told him about the memory spells, the 'dis-ratization' of Amy and how the redhead was so high in magic that she had driven a car into a wall with Dawn sitting beside her, but more importantly she told him about her pregnancy; in between of a 'dear lord' here and there, she manage to explain why she couldn't stay in Sunnydale anymore, why she decided to put as much distance from Willow as she could

"I can't risk the baby's safety" she said "she's unstable right now" she said already feeling the tears running down her cheeks "a-a-and it's so hard, because she's my life…she's everything that I have…this baby" she said touching her on belly "it was supposed to be the crowning of our l-l-love…and now" she ducked her head and sobbed…again. She couldn't remember crying so much since her mother had passed away, and now here she was feeling once again the heaviness of a loss…yes she was mourning the death of a relationship she thought would be forever "I can't do it Giles…I'm not strong enough to do it alone"

"you're not alone" he stood up and moved to the blonde's side; he could feel his heart tightened in his chest, he had always admired Tara's strength and wisdom; he had always considered her a fine, mature young lady and after meeting her family, his admiration had turned into pride because despite everything they had put her through she became a noble person; the way she behaved during the summer of Buffy's death, the serenity and the force she had shown while taking care of Dawn and helping Willow keep the group together, she was impressive. That's why when she called him asking for help, he didn't even blink, he welcomed her and even offered to pay for her flight ticket, she didn't accept it though, she said she just needed a place to stay, but now he could see she needed more than that, she needed a friend, she needed family

"I'm here Tara" he said kneeling down next to her "and if you let me, I'm willing to try and become the father you deserve to have" she looked at him and saw nothing but sincerity in his warm grey eyes "I'll help you with the baby and neither you nor him will lack anything, I promise you"

"I…I don't…" she couldn't form a sentence, but in her heart she knew she could trust him and that he would be true to his word so she let go of all the rationality and fell again into his opening arms

Days had gone by and turned into weeks, and weeks into months Tara and Giles had developed a routine quite pleasant and although during all this time he hadn't heard her laughing, he did catch a smile here and there, they were rare but were slowly beginning to happen again; she had gone back to university and with a little help from the coven she was able to graduate before the baby's arrival

"I can't believe this is really happening" she said holding her diploma happily

"I can" he smiled proudly "you're very disciplined…this is your reward" he said tasting his fettuccini; they were celebrating her graduation at the best Italian restaurant in town

"yeah, but if somebody had told me three years ago that I would be graduating in England, eight months pregnant and as big as an elephant, I would laugh… really hard" she said sipping her iced tea

"You look magnificent" he complimented and she blushed

"Thank you Giles…I wouldn't have come this far without your help" she said honestly and it was his turn to blush

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to Sunnydale?" he asked seriously "I've heard that Willow is doing really well"

"I know" she swallowed a lump that was formed every time she heard the redhead's name "Dawn and Buffy e-mail me on weekly basis to 'keep me informed'…" she sighed despondently

"So…you don't want to see it for yourself?" she shook her head shyly "you're going to have to tell her some day…you know that, right?"

"Yes" she answered simply and he decided to drop the matter, it should be her decision and he wasn't going to push either way

A month went by fast and Tara was now lying on a maternity bed, holding her precious child in her arms; beside them, Giles stood up proudly and smiling like a fool

"She is the prettiest little creature I've ever seen" he removed his glasses that were all steamed up because of the tears in his eyes

"Yes she is" Tara agreed also crying "she's perfect" she whispered and kissed the little blonde head

"Have you decided on a name yet?"

"Yes" she nodded and adjusted the little infant so she was facing him "Giles, meet your granddaughter…Ariel"


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2 – Meeting Faith

A baby always brings joy and happiness to a house filled just with adults, and little Ariel was responsible for the smile that had finally returned to Tara's face; 15 months ago Tara had left Sunnydale with her heart shattered into million pieces, she felt depressed and lonely and couldn't find a reason to continue living after Willow's betrayal. However, after she found out about her pregnancy, she gathered all her willpower and survived once again. Now, she was slowly beginning to see the colors of life through the eyes of her 6 month old baby

"no…you have to open your mouth" she struggled to keep her little girl in place "come on sweetie" the baby sucked the spoon and made a happy funny face causing Tara to giggle "you're the cutest thing of mama's" she smile and kissed the baby's toes "can you say 'mama'?" she played with the little blonde who was happily fidgeting in her high chair; a noise coming from the front door called both blondes attention

"Who's that?" Tara asked to her oblivious child "is that grandpa?" Ariel was happily playing with her cup when Giles entered the kitchen and smiled seeing the small blonde raising her arms for him to pick her up and producing some high pitch sounds for emphasis

"Hi there" he said complying to the baby's request

"Hey, Giles…where have you been? I haven't seen you all day" Tara asked cleaning up the mess Ariel had caused with the food

"Yes…I…uh…had a meeting at the watcher's council"

"Why?" she asked surprised

"Do you remember Faith?" he asked placing Ariel down in her play yard

"The psycho slayer?" she lifted an eyebrow

"That's the one" he nodded "well, we received a communication that's she's been released under probation" he went to the fridge pouring himself a glass of juice "the problem is that she's too dangerous to be left under the care of a regular parole officer"

"And what's got to do with you?" she questioned curiously

"Well…they asked me to be her 'informal' watcher" he informed finishing his drink

"Oh my God…what did you say?"

"They made it pretty interesting…the money and the facilities are quite attractive" he said tentatively "but there's a small problem though"

"What is it?" she asked sensing his hesitation

"In order to keep an eye on her, we would have to live under the same roof"

"She's gonna live here?" she asked widen her eyes

"I haven't agreed yet…I said I need some time to think" he said putting his glass in the sink and pulling a chair for Tara to sit at the table "but the truth is…I wanted to clear it with you first" he said sitting next to the blonde

"Giles, this is your house…" she started to argue but he cut her

"Tara, you and Ariel are my family…this house is as much yours as it is mine" he said reclining back on the chair "if you don't feel comfortable or if you think her presence here would be in any way a threat to Ariel's safety" he said pointing to the little one playing next to them

"No" Tara shook her head "I mean you should give her a chance…maybe all this time she spent in jail did her some good"

"Well…I haven't spoken to her yet, but she's been released due to her good behavior" he removed and cleaned his glasses

"There you go" she waved a hand at him "let's have some Faith then" he rolled his eyes and chuckled at the blonde's bad joke

Two weeks later Giles and Tara had prepared everything for the brunette slayer's arrival, a spare room had been set and they had planned all the details to make this new living arrangement work. The front door opened and Giles walked in carrying a bag followed by the rogue slayer carrying a shoulder bag

"okay…uh…this is your new home" he said placing her bag near the wall "your room is the third door to the left" she nodded and observed a brunette woman enter the living room carrying a blonde baby; the slayer looked at them and then turned to the watcher with a raised brow

"Oh…yes, of course" he said moving closer to the woman "uh…Faith, this is Ariel, the little princess of the house"

"Gee Giles…I didn't know you were a daddy" she said based on the goofy smile plastered on his face

"oh…no, no…she's not mine" he shook his head a little embarrassed; the front door opened again and this time a blonde walked in

"Uh, Faith…this is Tara" he introduced "have you met each other?"

"Yes" / "No" they replied at the same time and Faith turned to look at the blonde

"Have we met?" she asked furrowing her brows as if trying to remember

"Yes…I mean, you were not really yourself" she said cryptically and received another raised brow "you were in Buffy's body at the time"

"Oh…" realization downed her

"Yeah…we met at the Bronze…I was with Willow"

"Oh…the girlfriend, I remember now" Faith nodded recalling their meeting "you used to stutter"

"Yeah, I do that when I'm nervous" she nodded and moved to pick up a squirming baby who was requesting some attention "hi sweetie" she cradled the child and the baby made some sounds of happiness "did you miss mama?"

"Is she yours?" Faith asked surprised and received a nod from the blonde "but I thought…" she pointed confused to the brunette standing next to the witch

"Oh…this is Simone…she's Ariel's nanny" Tara said smiling at the sweet woman "she's from the witch coven"

"Hum…a nanny witch?" Faith smirked "nice to meet you, Mary Poppins" the nanny just snorted and rolled her eyes "so, what am I supposed to do?" the slayer asked clasping her hands

"Yes, well…uh…you'll develop some activities at the council" Giles informed moving to the couch "and of course you'll still have your slayer's responsibilities with patrol and everything"

"Good" she nodded "I can do that…so I'm free to come and go as long as I report to you, fulfill my duties and stay out of trouble, right?"

"Yes…basically yes" he nodded at her

"Cool…so I'm outta here" she informed and moved to the door

"Where are you going?" he asked surprised

"Well…it's night so I'll patrol and then…" she looked at them and smirked "I'll get laid…it's been a long dry" she enjoyed the look of shock on his face "I'll see you guys tomorrow"

"Oh boy" he said after she closed the door behind her "I'm beginning to wonder if that was really a good idea" he said locking eyes with Tara


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

A month after her arrival, Faith had planed her routine carefully; she would go out at night patrol then find a bar to stay out till late, have occasional sex, come home when everybody was already asleep, sleep all morning, go to the council in the afternoon, perform the duties Giles would assign to her and leave for patrol again. She had decided that that was the best way to make time pass faster; she didn't want any kind of attachment, she just wanted to complete her probation time without trouble and regain her freedom so she could disappear into the world again. This arrangement was working pretty fine for her and Giles but was starting to bug a certain blonde witch

"That can't be healthy, Giles" Tara sighed watching Faith close the front door

"I'm sorry, what?" he said putting his newspaper down

"Her lifestyle…it can't be healthy" she shook her head

"Who, Faith?" he asked furrowing his brows

"Yes…" she stood up and started pacing the room "she barely eats, she stays out late every night and when she is around we never hear her voice"

"Well…that's Faith" he shrugged simply "she's always been like that"

"And you never tried to understand why she's like that?" she asked crossing her arms in front of her chest

"Uh…no" he shrugged nonchalantly "works for me"

"Well it doesn't work for me" she unfolded her arms and narrowed her eyes

"And what are you going to do?" he asked suspiciously "try to talk some sense into her?"

"Maybe" she nodded and his eyes widened "I have to try" she shrugged and he shook his head knowing better than to try and convince her not to.

Later that night Faith arrived quietly like she always did; she had no intention to wake up anybody so she practically tiptoed to her room and closed the door silently. She started to removed her top when she heard a soft knock at her door; she frowned

"Who's it?" she asked curiously

"Uh…it's me…Tara" she heard the blonde and raised a suspicious eyebrow at the door "can I come in?"

"Whatever" she shrugged and saw the door open and the witch walk in carrying a tray

"Hi…I brought you some snack" Tara smiled softly

"Why?" she asked not getting the blonde's motivation

"Well…I know Buffy always comes starving after patrol" Tara explained putting the try down on the nightstand "so I imagined you would do to"

"I mean why you care?" she crossed her arms adopting a defensive posture

"Uh…we live in the same house, Faith" the witch was determined to break at least a little part of the wall around the brunette "I couldn't not notice how bad you eat…you'll end up getting sick"

"I can take care of myself" Faith answered stubbornly

"I don't doubt that" she nodded "but like I said we live together, we're like a small family…and family always take care of each other"

"Family?" the slayer asked cynically "and you are what, mama bear?" Tara sighed and rubbed her face trying not to lose her patience

"I don't know you Faith…I mean, I've heard stories about you" she waved a hand at the brunette "but honestly, I don't think you're half as bad as you've been painted all those years"

"You're right…you don't know me" she shook her head self depreciatingly "I've done pretty bad things"

"I know…but I believe that people change" Tara replied softly "and I might be wrong but…I don't see the same mean woman I met some years ago" she smiled and walked to the door "have a good night, Faith" she left the room pretty sure that she had touched the brunette and even if she had just scratched the surface it was a beginning

The next morning Giles and Tara were having breakfast in the kitchen with Ariel playing happily with her toys and laughing

"I can't believe how fast she's growing" Giles said watching the little baby

"Tell me about it" Tara said turning her head to look at her daughter "it seems like yesterday that she was this…tiny little thing that I was afraid to break" she and Giles smiled at the memories

"And she's getting pretty smart too" the watcher said proudly "did you see…" he was interrupted by the sight of a fresh looking slayer entering the kitchen

"Morning" she greeted and sat next to him

"Morning, Faith" Tara smiled happily

"Uh…are you alright?" Giles asked curiously

"Yeah, why?" she raised an eyebrow at him

"Well, you're never up this early…" he stated "I just thought it was a little…uncommon" he started to fidget under Tara's disapproving stare "that's all"

"Yeah, I decided to see the world from a sunny morning perspective" she shrugged

"Cloudy…but anyway, want some breakfast?" Tara offered

"Okay" she nodded

"Uh…we have bagels, toast, eggs and cereal" the blonde informed "if you want I can make some pancakes"

"Nah…don't bother" she waved a dismissively hand "I'll have a bagel"

"Tea?" Giles offered

"Coffee"

"Of course…here" he poured her a cup

"Thanks" she sipped it and smiled to the little blonde concentrating hard on her toy "so what are the plans for today?"

"Uh…we are going to head to the university" Giles informed "Tara has some classes to teach and I'm planning to do some research at the library…wanna come?"

"Books??" she made a scared face

"Yes…they won't bite you" he smirked at her

"Pity…it could be interesting" she sneered and bit her bagel "here…have some" she offered a piece of bread to Tara

"No, please…" she refused "I'm still trying to get rid of all the weight I gained during my pregnancy"

"You look fine to me" she said checking out the blonde's body

"I'm o-o-overweight" she blushed "the problem is that I hate gyms…I thought I could take some self-defense class but…I suck"

"You can't be that bad" Faith furrowed her brows amazed by the shade of red covering the blonde's face and neck

"Oh, I am…believe me!" she chuckled embarrassed and looked at Giles who was smiling at her

"I could help you" Faith offered surprising both Giles and Tara not to mention herself "you could work with me until you…uh…suck a little less"

"Really?"

"Yeah…we just need a place"

"You could use the coven's training room" Giles suggested "you just need to schedule it"

"Oh, okay" Tara nodded happily "can we start today?"

"Sure…5pm sounds good?" the slayer asked and blonde nodded eagerly "it's settled then"

Three hours of old dusty text books were enough for Faith want to chop her own head off, in fact she'd been hitting her head on the table for about three minutes before Giles sent her for a walk around the campus; the day was indeed cloudy, but it wasn't very cold, so she wandered on the open area watching the students come and go, suddenly she was attracted by the sound of a familiar voice

"Most of us are always trying to do what's right" Tara's voice had a melodic rhythm "We try to be the best person we can be" she looked through the glass window and saw the witch lecturing to a group of very interested students "we picture the ideal world as a world filled with harmony, love and peace" Tara's tone worked like a siren call luring and entrancing the brunette slayer; she leaned against a wall hypnotized by the blonde's sweet voice; she watched her, the way she moved her hands, how she tucked her glasses and specially she watched the sway of the witch's body moving like a sexy dance. She didn't know how long she stood there but she was startled by the sound of the bell dismissing the class; she looked inside and saw Tara waving at her, she waved back and rushed off embarrassed for having been caught.

Five o'clock sharp Faith entered the council's training room

"Hi there" she saw Tara standing near the window

"Hey…you made it" she greeted nervously

"I said I would, didn't I?" she dropped her backpack and looked at Tara, the witch was wearing navy blue sports bra over matching thigh length nylon shorts; Faith stood at the door her hazel eyes wandered up and down Tara's elegant form for a minute or two, the blonde began to shift nervously under the brunette intense stare

"Something wrong?" she asked self-consciously

"Oh, I'm sorry" she grinned "I was just analyzing your musculature"

"Is it that b-b-bad?" she blushed

"no…no of course not" the slayer shook her head "you have a great body…in fact" she stood back a step or two and crossed her arms across her chest and stared at Tara's body once again "I think your body will respond quickly to weight training" She placed her fingertips loosely on the tops of Tara's shoulders and slowly traced her thumbs over the muscles just above her breasts "you could develop nice muscles and…" she said as she ran the flat of her hand slowly down Tara's bare abdomen "you could have fantastic toned abs" a warm flush crawled up the blonde's cheeks as she felt the slayer's hand on her body; realizing that she was still touching the blonde, Faith yanked her hand and blushed "shall we start?"

They worked for over 50 minutes, the brunette slayer was careful not to push very hard, she didn't want the blonde to be overwhelmed with information. Tara agreed and bent over massaging her tired legs

"Let me help you" Faith offered grabbing a floor mat "lie down on your tummy" she instructed and Tara agreed tentatively; Faith grasped, pushed and stretched both of Tara's legs in order to loose the muscles, she then began to massage her thigh with strong hands. Tara closed her eyes in pleasure as Faith's hands kneaded her tired muscles deeply, she couldn't remember been so relaxed in a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys,_

_Thanks for all the feedback and support…_

_Hope you enjoy it!_

_WA_

_**Note:** Ariel's conception is fully explained in 'Forever you'!!!_

Part 4

Some weeks later the witch and the slayer were practically inseparable. Faith had developed a new routine, she spent as much time as possible with the blonde; they did almost everything together from breakfast to dinner, the work out trainings and even research sections like the one they were doing at Giles living room

"I'm so, so, so bored" Faith whined rolling her head from side to side making Tara giggle

"Come on Faith" she shook her head "it's not that bad"

"Oh please!!!" she said leaping from the chair "I'm a slayer, T…my body craves for action" she bounced up and down to release some piled energy "what do I care if the demon looks like a fish or a porcupine?"

"Well, what if the porcupine demon has some poisoning spikes coming out of its skin?" Tara asked in a challenge

"Then I'll fight it with a spear" she shrugged nonchalantly and the blonde shook her head

"Here, I brought some snacks" Simone announced putting down the tray

"Thank you Mary Popins" Faith said already chomping her sandwich "I love you" she declared with her mouth full

"Did Giles call?" Tara asked to the nanny

"Oh, yes…he said he'll arrive before the weekend" she informed

"Where is he anyway?" Faith asked between bites

"Scotland" Tara answered "something to do with the council"

"Tara, would you help me with dinner?" Simone asked gently

"I'll go" Faith offered hopefully, she'd do anything to get away from the books

"No…you stay" Tara commanded and she pouted causing the blonde to smile "you can watch over Ariel" she suggested taking pity on the brunette

"Kid versus books…uh…" she considered the options "okay…kid beats books" she said and moved to pick up the baby. Tara and Simone left shaking her heads and giggling

The slayer sat on the carpet with Ariel next to her; the little baby was mumbling some unintelligible sounds

"What was that?" she asked to the oblivious kid "sorry kiddo, I don't speak babish" the baby produced a high pitched sound in a revolted gesture and started climbing on the couch "oh, you want to stand up?!!" she said helping the baby up "hey, look at you" she praised the little girl "you'll be walking soon…yes you will" the little blonde was happily tapping the couch and jouncing up and down "yes…and I will teach you how to fight…just like your mama"

"Mama" the girl mimicked the word

"Yeah, mama…she's so cool, ain't she?" she said helping the baby who was crawling over her legs "you have a cool mama" she said grasping the little girl "wanna play outside? Come on…" she stood up carrying Ariel in her arms she then stopped at the kitchen door and shouted "hey, T…I'm taking kiddo outside, okay?"

"Okay" the witch poked her head outside "be careful…"

Some time later Tara stepped at the garden to see her child playing gladly on a blanket Faith had spread on the grass

"Dinner, ready?" the brunette asked seeing the blonde approaching

"Almost…" she replied and turned to the baby "hey, want some juice?" she asked her child waving the cute pink cup in front of her

"Ju…ju" she pointed to the cup "wanna" Tara knelt and helped the kid drink her fluid. Faith watched the interaction between mother and daughter and got curious

"Can I ask you something?" Tara sat down and looked at the brunette

"Yeah, sure…go ahead"

"Who's the father?" she asked and nodded towards Ariel

"Oh…" Tara looked at her child and back at the slayer "it's Willow… kinda…it's a long story" she answered shyly

"Red's the father?" the slayer bit the inside of her cheek trying to process the information "how?"

"Magic" Tara answered simply; she leaned against a tree and started telling the story of Ariel's conception

Week after week their routine didn't change and the more time they spent together the closer they got.

The front door of Giles' house opened and Tara entered meeting him in the living room

"Hey" she greeted

"Hi…how was the meeting?" he asked

"Longer than I expected" she answered depositing her material on the table "Where's Simone?" she asked fussing her bag

"I think she had some kind of emergency" he informed "she left before I arrived"

"What?" Tara asked alarmed "where's Ariel?" Giles moved to the side and she saw Faith lying on the floor with her head resting against the couch and the little blonde on top of her, both sleeping peacefully "oh my god" her eyes widened at the sight "she's gonna get all sore" Tara said and lowered to try to move the baby

"Uh, be careful" Giles warned and she pulled back raising a questioning eyebrow at him "slayers can be…rather protective" he said rubbing his wrist; Tara smiled and turned back to the girls

"Hey, sleeping beauty" she called softly "wake up" the brunette opened her eyes and looked at the blonde without moving, in order not to disturb the baby "let me take her"

"Yeah, okay" she whispered hoarsely. Tara cradled her daughter and stood up, Faith started to move and felt her neck complain "ow" she massaged it and rolled her head from side to side causing a popping sound "she's clean and fed"

"Thank you" Tara whispered and turned to go to the bedroom; the brunette couldn't help but watch the retreating blonde. Giles observed the scene with keen interest

"It's so easy to fall for her, isn't it?" he commented and she snapped her head to look at him

"Excuse me?" she asked harshly

"I mean…she's a lovable young woman" he decided to back away

"Yes, she is" she relaxed visibly

"I can't believe Willow let her go" he shook his head

"Red is a fool" she declared "Tara deserves better than that"

"Absolutely" he agreed "she deserves to find happiness again" he declared and she nodded with a pensive look on her face

"Yeah" she used both hands to massage her sore neck and moved towards the bedroom. The slayer stopped at Ariel's room, leaned against the doorframe and watched Tara tucking her little girl in singing softly to her; sensing someone else's presence, the blonde witch turned and smiled at the brunette; she then turned again, kissed her baby, dimmed the lights and moved to the door

"Thank you for taking care of her" she whispered

"No problem" Faith shrugged "kid is great"

"She is, isn't she?" Tara agreed proudly

"She has a great mom" the slayer complimented and the witch blushed

"I'm not p-p-perfect" she stuttered for the first time in a long time

"Maybe not" she locked eyes with the blonde "but you're very close to it" Tara stared mutely at her, then leaned forward and kissed her cheek softly

"You're very sweet…thank you again for watching her" she walked past the brunette and disappeared towards her own room; Faith didn't move, she just lifted her hand and touched the tingling spot on her face.

A week later Faith entered home excited about some new responsibilities the council had given her

"Hey, Mary Popins…where is Tara?" she was eager to tell the blonde

"Uh, in the study room…" she pointed with her thumb

"Thanks" she rushed there but froze at the threshold; Tara was sitting at the table with lots of books spread in front of her and a hot blonde at her side. The grin on the slayer's face was immediately replaced by a frown; she could feel her heart racing and a sensation of being punched on the stomach when she saw the woman touching the witch's arm. The blonde bimbo had a predatory look on her face and Faith didn't like it a bit, she had a bitter taste on her mouth and her fists were clenched; Tara, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to the other blonde's intention, she was explaining something animatedly while the other woman checked her out hungrily. Faith could feel her blood beginning to boil, she needed to get out or she would cause some serious damage on that bitch's face; in a lightening speed, she crossed the room to the front door

"Dinner is almost ready" Simone informed

"I'm not hungry" she barked and stormed out the house. The nanny stood there looking at the slammed door and back to the study room, picturing what might have happened; having a pretty good idea formed, she shook her head and moved her attention back to Ariel.

Latter that night, Faith was at the park punching and kicking demons and vampires trying to steam out some anger. She was now fighting a fat vampire who charged at her; He punched her in the face and she fell to the ground. He smirked at her, she narrowed her eyes and grabbed her stake, she jumped up and landed a punch; he punched her back and she kicked his leg, he staggered and she staked him. She drew the stack back angrily and watched him disappear into dust

"Boy…aren't we mad today?" she heard a voice and spun around

"What are you doing here?" she snapped "shouldn't you be singing for some needing child?"

"Nah…it's my night off" the nanny shrugged simply

"Good for you" she faked a cheering gesture and started walking

"Wouldn't it be easier if you just told her how you feel?" she decided to cut to the chase

"What are you talking about?" Faith practically hissed

"Tara" she answered calmly "why don't you tell her that you're in love with her"

"Because I'm not" she denied it

"Please, Faith" she rolled her eyes "who are you trying to kid?"

"Mary Popins, what kind if herb have you used in your tea?" she asked with her hands on her hips

"I'm a witch, Faith" she smiled softly "I can see what's in your heart" she said ignoring the slayer's threatening look "your feelings for her are strong, stop fooling yourself and admit them" she moved closer "you fell in love with her, but you're trying to convince yourself that it's nothing"

"It is nothing…it's just a crush" she said dismissively "it'll go away"

"What if it doesn't?" she asked

"Then I'll make it go away" she answered and the older woman shook her head "I'm just gonna have to stick to my original plan" the slayer nodded vehemently

"And that was?" the nanny raised a questioning eyebrow

"Stay away" she explained "I'll just do what I have to do until I'm free to go" she started pacing "yeah…and when the probation time is over I'll just disappear and never seer her again"

"That's your master plan?" she asked crossing her arms in front of her chest "go back to your unhealthy and self-destructive lifestyle?"

"Yes" she nodded "no emotional bonds"

"I think it's a little late for that" she smirked at the brunette slayer

"Let's see" Faith replied confidently


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay guys,_

_A short one!!! Thanks for all the feedback, I love them…keep doing it!_

_Enjoy,_

_WA_

Part 5

Tara entered the kitchen carrying Ariel in her arms

"Good morning" she greeted Giles and Simone who were already there

"Morning Tara" Giles put down the newspaper and kissed the baby's blond head

"Where is Faith?" Tara asked checking her surrounds "I passed by her room and she wasn't there"

"She left very early" Simone informed "she said she wanted to finish something at the council"

"Oh…" the blonde said with a touch of disappointment in her voice

"Something the matter, dear?" Giles asked sensing her tone

"no…I guess" she replied unsurely "I mean…it's been like that the whole week" se stood up and poured herself a cup of tea "I barely see her now"

"It seems that old habits die hard after all" the watcher said missing the disapproving look on the nanny's face

"What do you mean?" Tara asked furrowing her brows

"She's back to her old routine" he explained using his napkin to wipe out his mouth "and here I thought you could be a good influence on her"

"I don't buy that" Tara said shaking her head "something must have happened" she sighed "I'll talk to her"

"Speaking of talking" Giles started "there's something I want to talk to you about"

"Is there a problem?" she lifted an intrigued brow

"Not exactly a problem" he reclined back in his seat "Anya called…she wants to make sure you're coming to the wedding" he told and noticed her body stiffening a little "it's next month"

"I know…Dawn told me" she avoided eye contact

"Are you coming?" he pressed

"I don't know" she stood up, put her cup in the sink and turn to look at him "I have to think about it"

"Very well, then" he nodded at her "let me know your decision so I can book the flight tickets"

"Okay" she kissed her child, grabbed her stuff and left for work

"Do you think she'll go?" the nanny asked intrigued

"No" the watcher shook his head "I don't think she's ready yet"

At five in the afternoon Tara entered the coven's training room for her work out section with the dark slayer. She used to train with Faith three times a week but the rogue slayer had already called off twice this week; she tried to cancel today as well but Tara didn't take it and they were to meet at their regular hour. The blonde was wearing her tight sports bra and a pair of grey sweat pants, after a couple of months training daily, she was getting confidence in her body. She had already beginning to warm up when the door opened and the brunette entered. The sight of Tara stretching caused the brunette's heart to bump up; the blonde was doing a sequence of drills she had taught her _"God, she's so damn hot" _she took a long calming breath in order to keep her cool

"Hi there" she greeted nonchalantly

"Hey…finally" the blonde turned to look at her "I thought you were going to stand me up"

"No…I always stick to my promises" she said trying to sound aloof "shall we start?" Tara nodded not understanding why the slayer was acting so distant

They trained for forty-five minutes without much talking. Faith had tried hard to keep her mask on but the closeness to the blonde was making the task tougher by the minute so she decided to end the torture

"I think it's fine for today" she stated and the witch looked at her quizzically "stretch a little…you know the drill" she said already gathering her stuff

"Faith" Tara called but the slayer didn't turn "what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" she asked feeling her heartbeat increasing

"Why are you being so…cold?" she asked in a small voice. Faith kept her back to the blonde and closed her eyes tightly

"I don't know what you're talking about" she was praying for the butterflies in her stomach to settle down

"Look at me" Tara requested softly, the slayer complied and had to use all her willpower not to rush forward and kiss the blonde witch

"Listen, T…I'm late for patrol" she lied "we can talk back at the house" before Tara could speak again, she stormed out of the room. The blonde furrowed her brows in confusion and released a big sigh.

During the weekend Tara could not get a hold of Faith, the brunette had conveniently found a trip to Ireland in order to fulfill some duties for the coven. A week later the slayer was hiding in her room like a teenager waiting for Tara and Giles leave for work. The moment she heard the engines running she came into the living room

"Hey there, kiddo" the young blonde started bouncing happily at the sight of the slayer "yeah, did you miss me?" she lowered and lifted the baby in her arms. Ariel screeched "hey easy…you're gonna deafen me" she joked and kissed the baby's tummy "look what I got you" she rattled a green leprechaun doll in front of the little girl

"Well, I'm not an expert but I would consider baby talking as an 'emotional bond'…" the slayer spun and saw a smirking nanny leaning against the kitchen's doorframe

"Oh, shut up" she smiled back to the happy baby "besides, I said I'd avoid Tara…not the kid"

"Mama" Ariel spoke

"Yes…Tara is your mama" she lifted her higher "and you're not gonna tell that I'm avoiding her, are you?"

"Mama" the baby repeated and pointed to the front door. Feeling the blood draining from her face, the slayer turned around and saw Tara watching her closely

"And may I ask why I'm been avoided?" she asked sternly making the brunette squirm with embarrassment


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

Faith could feel her legs beginning to quiver; she was not used to be the deer caught in the headlights. Tara had her arms crossed across her chest and her eyes narrowed staring mercilessly at the brunette slayer

"Here, let me take Ariel" Simone offered feeling that Faith was starting to shake

"No…" Tara interrupted "I don't have time for this conversation right now" she informed moving to the study room and returning with a book in her hands "I'm late for a class…but I'm not gonna let you off the hook that easily" she warned seriously "we'll talk tonight" Faith didn't make a sound, so the blonde moved, kissed her daughter and left again

"Now look what you've done" she snapped at the nanny

"oh please" Simone rolled her eyes in exasperation "you're the one who's been acting like a love sick teenager" she took Ariel from the slayer's arms "I stand by my opinion…it would be a lot easier if you just told her how you feel"

"What for?" she opened her arms dramatically

"Well, what have you got to lose?" she questioned "she's single and not seen anybody as far as we know it…what are you so afraid of?"

"She used to date Red, for Christ sake…I can't think of anybody more different than me" she explained "she would never want anything to do with the likes of me"

"you'll only know it if you ask her" she tried to reason the slayer "maybe she likes you…and if she doesn't, you can move on with your life" she said ignoring the slayer's protests "think about it, ok?" she grabbed the baby's toys and left the brunette alone with her thoughts

Faith was stubbornly resolved not to run into Tara that night, so after patrolling she went to a bar determined to have sex. She made out with two hot chicks but couldn't get any further because her mind was occupied by a certain blonde witch. She gave up and left feeling very frustrated.

She got home very late; the sun was almost rising when she tiptoed to her room. She closed the door silently and turned the light on

"Jesus Christ" she jumped placing a hand over her heart "you scared the shit out of me" Tara was sitting on an armchair by the window, facing the door and looking very unpleased "what are you doing up?"

"I was waiting for you" she said humorlessly

"Look, T…" Faith started but was interrupted by Tara's raised hand. The blonde stood up and moved to the brunette's side

"I just want to apologize" she said softly

"For what?" the slayer furrowed her brows in confusion

"I don't know" Tara shrugged "I don't really know what I did to offend you" she started pacing "b-but whatever it w-w-was…I d-didn't mean to" Faith's heart sank at the blonde's sorrow expression "I thought we were friends and I must have crossed some kind of line…so I'm sorry"

"Tara" Faith choked

"It's late…or early" the blonde smiled sadly "whatever…just get some sleep" she turned and left the room. Faith felt a lump forming on her throat; her heart was running a mile a minute, she couldn't bear the sight of a distressed Tara

"Idiot" she cursed and run after the blonde. She found the witch sitting on a bench at the backyard, her head was bent forward and she had both hands covering her face; by the slump of her shoulders Faith could tell that she was sobbing. The slayer felt her heart tightening inside her chest; she rushed to the blonde's side

"hey…please, stop it" the brunette was breathing heavily "why are you crying?" the blonde simply shook her head "hey, come on, T…look at me" she pled and knelt in front of the witch "you did nothing wrong…it's my fault" she removed Tara's hand from her face gently "I'm a stupid moron" Tara sniffed and opened her eyes to look at Faith. The brunette slayer was on the verge of tears and Tara saw genuine concern in her eyes

"I'm so confused" she offered honestly "Anya and Xander are getting married in three weeks and everybody is pressuring me to come"

"Are you going?" Faith asked sitting next to her

"I don't think I'm ready to see W-Willow again…" she dried her face "to face her after what I did"

"What you did???" she furrowed her brows

"She doesn't know about A-Ariel" Tara said watching the sun coming up in the horizon "I t-took off and never said a word about the p-pregnancy" she sighed despondently "keeping it from her is killing me"

"Why don't you tell her now?" Faith was worried; she wasn't used to see Tara stuttering so much

"I c-can't…" she shook her head and sighed again "I c-can't just show up after all this t-time and say: 'gee Will, I forgot to tell you…but you have a child'" she snorted and ran a hand through her hair "she'll hate me" Faith felt a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach, she could sense how much the redhead still meant for Tara, and she didn't like it…at all. She decided to push her jealousy down though; she wanted to comfort the blonde

"Then don't go" she offered "stay here…and maybe one day, when the kid is older and your heart is healed, you two can sit and talk" she offered honestly. Tara looked deep inside hazel eyes, and saw nothing but warmth emanating from them

"Thank you" she whispered and suddenly something came to her mind "why were you avoiding me?"

"Cause I'm stupid" she said without breaking their gaze "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry" the blonde smiled sweetly and nodded causing a grin to break in the slayer's features

Things got back to normal that week, the slayer had decided to drop the childish act and face things like an adult; more than that, she was determined to take the blonde's mind off of Sunnydale. On Friday she woke before the rest of the habitants of the house and was already in the kitchen when Tara walked in

"Hey early bird" she smiled at the brunette "fall off bed this morning?"

"Nope…I had some things to prepare" she explained

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked curiously and moved to start breakfast

"No…no" Faith intercepted her "stay away from the stove"

"Why?" she lifted a questioning eyebrow

"Cause today, you me and the kid are going for a picnic" she grinned and showed the basket she had prepared

"Picnic???" Tara asked wide eyed

"Yes…picnic" she nodded positively

"Faith, it's Friday…I have to work" she argued

"Don't worry…I took care of it" she waved a dismissively hand to the blonde

"What did you do?" she asked intrigued

"I asked Giles to inform the university that you weren't feeling well and you'd need someone to cover for your classes today" she told

"Oh my god…did he do it?"

"Yes…I told him you were under a lot of stress and a day off would do you good" she grinned "plus, he lent me the keys to his cottage" she shook the keychain for emphases

"I can't believe you went through all this trouble" she said touched by the brunette's thoughtfulness

"It's nothing…besides, I could use a day off too" she wiggled her brows funnily causing the blonde to laugh

Tara was sitting on a blanket spread over some very green grass. The contents of the picnic basket Faith had prepared were spread beside her. She had a book on her lap, but she wasn't reading it, she was observing from afar Faith riding a light brown stallion with Ariel sitting in front of her. The kid was having a blast; her laughs were echoing all over the place and Tara could sense the joy emanating from the slayer as well. The blonde could feel her body relaxing for the first time in weeks, Faith was right she definitely needed a day off.

Two hours later, Ariel was already fed and taking a refreshing nap. Faith was lying on her side using a hand to support her head; Tara was sitting with her legs crossed Indian style both tasting some fruit

"Hum…this is great" Tara said sucking her own fingers

"Yeah, kid likes it too" Tara nodded and looked to her sleeping baby

"She loves you" she declared softly

"Yeah…I'm her 'fa-fy'" Faith looked adorably at the little girl

"Her what?"

"Seriously…she calls me 'fa-fy'…" she explained "I think 'Faith' is hard for to say"

"Probably…yeah" the blonde nodded in agreement. Faith watched Tara's every move, she couldn't deny how much the blonde meant to her anymore; she was definitely falling in love with that woman. She started wondering if the nanny was right, if she should talk to Tara about her feelings, but how would she react? Would she blow her off? Did she stand a chance? She needed to get some answers before making a move

"Hey, T…can I ask you something?"

"Sure" she nodded

"What happened between you and Red?" she asked directly "I mean, why you guys broke up anyway?"

"It's not a v-v-very h-h-happy story" she stuttered already feeling the lump forming on her throat

"Hey…if it makes you uncomfortable" Faith said sitting up and placing a soft hand on the witch's knee

"No, it's okay" Tara sighed trying to get a hold of her emotions "I've got to be able to talk about that without falling apart"

"I'm all ears" the brunette encourage and she told her about everything that happened between her and the redhead. The more Faith listened the angrier she got; she could not believe how stupid Willow had been to hurt such a wonderful person

"_You're an idiot Red"_ she thought _"but it's your loss"_


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey people,_

_Thanks for the support…more feedback, please!_

_Note: the song is **Phil Collins - You'll Be In My Heart**_

Part 7

A couple of days later Giles boarded a plane to Sunnydale by himself. Tara had decided she wasn't ready to face Willow or the consequences of her decisions yet. She thought it was better for her to stay in England with Ariel, Simone and Faith. Things had gone back to normal between the blonde and the slayer, and all the tension from the past weeks were replaced by a nice and peaceful environment. Faith had decided not to tell Tara about her feelings, but she decided to stop running from them as well, she just had to learn to cope with the situation. She liked Tara, but she didn't believe she stood a chance with the blonde, so she decided to settle for friendship.

"Hey, I'm home" Tara greeted entering through the front door

"Hi…you late" Faith responded from the couch where she was lacing her boots

"yeah, sorry" the blonde put her material at the study room and returned to living room "I got stuck in a meeting" the nanny got in the room with a crying child in her arms

"Hey sweetie" she moved to take the baby "what's wrong?"

"Somebody is cranky today" Faith said standing up

"I think she must be coming down with something" Simone offered watching Tara trying to calm her fussy baby

"Mama" Ariel whimpered

"shh…shh, it's okay" Tara rocked her softly "mama is here" the witch nestled the baby on her chest and snuggled her head against the front of her neck, she then draped her chin over the little blonde's head and started humming a low-pitched melody while walking towards the bedroom

"Are you going patrolling?" the nanny asked seeing the slayer dressing her coat

"Yeah…why, need a piece of demon nail or something?" she teased

"No" she rolled her eyes "it's just that I have an important meeting at the coven today" she explained "I can't miss it…but I wouldn't like to leave Tara alone"

"Oh, don't worry…I'll be home early" she promised

"Nice…I'll go get dressed then" Faith walked to the bedroom where she heard Tara singing sweetly and swaying Ariel from side to side

"_Come stop your crying_

_It'll be alright_

_Just take my hand_

_Hold it tight_

_I will protect you_

_From all around you_

_I will be here_

_Don't you cry…"_

The slayer seemed enchanted by the melodic rhythm of the blonde's soft voice. Tara sensed the brunette's presence and turned to look at her

"She's almost asleep" she whispered and Faith nodded in acknowledgment

"I'm going patrolling" she informed in a low voice "but I won't take long…call my cell if you need anything"

"Okay…be careful"

The night seemed calmer than the slayer had anticipated which she was very thankful for once she was planning to go home early.

She was about to call it a night when she saw this ugly demon with gooey skin and weird marbled eyes charging at her; the demon took a swing and she leaned back to avoid it. She blocked a punch and punched him in the stomach; she then kicked his chest forcing him to take a few steps backwards. She attacked him but he grabbed her and threw her against a tree. The demon went to punch her but she rolled over and he punched the tree instead. She spun around and hit him again. They traded some kicks and he swung and hit her with a roundhouse kick sending her to the floor. The demon raised his hand and a blade shot out from the inside of his wrist, he slammed his hand and impaled the knife into her lower back

"Ahhhh" she screamed in agony. The demon prepared to strike again but she managed to block it. She grabbed his arm, twisted it and stabbed him across the chest with his own weapon. The demon fell dead and the slayer stumbled against the tree grunting in pain, she put her hand at her lower left side and pulled back to see it covered in blood. Breathing shallowly and feeling lightheaded, she used the tree for support and stood up, she needed to get home.

At the house, Tara had put Ariel down on her crib. The baby had finally fallen into a deep sleep after a couple of songs and a few massages her mama had given her in order to calm her down. The blonde witch had just turned out the lights and gotten into bed when she heard a noise coming from the bathroom. She knew it could only be Faith so she decided to see if everything was alright. The bathroom door was closed but the light was on

"Faith, are you okay?" she knocked lightly

"Yeah…I'm fine" she winced and clenched her teeth

"Are you sure?" Tara insisted, she could feel something wasn't right "Faith…I'm coming in" the brunette didn't have the strength to argue, so Tara opened the door and gasped at the sight of a panting and sweaty Faith leaning against the sink with her shirt soaked with blood "oh, my God…what happened?" she rushed to her side, wrapped one arm around the brunette's waist, passed one of the slayer's arms around her neck for support and helped her to her room

"Got stabbed by a demon" she explained and groaned in pain "I need stitches, but I can't reach the damn cut" she continued breathing shallowly and unevenly. Tara laid the slayer down on her stomach, lifted her shirt to exam the damage and gasped again

"Goddess, it looks bad…you need a doctor" she looked anxiously at the wound and then at the brunette's face seeing that she had passed out. The blonde witch rushed to the living room, grabbed her agenda and the cordless phone and started dialing frantically. Two hours later a doctor from the council was standing next to Faith tending to her wound with Tara standing beside him.

"All right, I think I got her stabilized" he said removing his surgical gloves "I gave her a shot to avoid infection and as she's a slayer it must work a lot faster" Tara nodded and looked at the bandage wrapped around the slayer's back "somebody needs to keep an eye on her tonight though" he informed "do you want me to send a nurse here to do it?"

"No…I'll do it" she assured him "she'll be fine, isn't she?"

"I believe so" he answered packing away his stethoscope and the rest of his stuff "but you must watch her tonight" Tara nodded and pulled a blanket up over the slayer's back.

After the doctor had left, Tara moved Ariel's crib to the slayer's room, this way she could keep an eye on both of them tonight.

The slayer's condition didn't improve a bit throughout the night; on the contrary it only got worse. Faith developed a fever which the doctor explained as her body fighting the infection.

Tara was sitting on the bed next to the sleeping slayer, she reached over and started stroking the brunette's damp hair, something about the rogue slayer didn't add up to all the stories she'd heard from the gang. She had experienced up-close and personally how mean the brunette could be, but this Faith lying here so vulnerable tonight, this wasn't the same Faith from their stories.

Since she started hearing about the rogue slayer, she'd never considered why she would act the way she did, she never questioned her motivations she only knew Willow hated her and absorbed that as a universal truth. That's why she got a little uncertain when Giles told her about her moving in with them, she didn't trust the brunette.

But now, six months later, she had learned that Faith was capable of so much more, but in a good way more. She could be gentle and thoughtful, considerable, loyal and even sweet; there was an adorable person hiding under the tough-bitch mask she wore.

The blonde took a piece of cloth and pressed gently against Faith's forehead, the brunette was in a restless sleep, her breathing was unevenly and she was dripping with sweat and shivering with cold. Tara was scared; she alternated her looks between her peaceful child and the agitated slayer, the doctor said there was nothing she could do but waiting for the slayer healing to start working.

She looked anxiously at the slayer's pained face and felt her heart tightening in her chest; she needed to help her somehow. Suddenly, just like magic something clicked inside her; she was a witch and there was for sure something she could do to help her friend.

She stood up, checked her baby and got back to bed. It was almost dawn when she sat against the headboard of the bed, stroked the slayer's hair and slid her hand down her bare back.

She pressed her palm firmly against Faith's body, took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started chanting something under her breath. Suddenly her hand started glowing and she could feel the heat emanating from the white light shooting out of her palm straight into the slayer's body.

Ten minutes after the infusion of Tara's energy, Faith's breathing rhythm had evened out and the fever broke down, she now looked as peaceful as Ariel. Tara breathed a sigh of relieve; she stood up, got a new blanket and covered up the now resting slayer. The witch smiled pleased, moved to the armchair and closed her eyes for the first time that night.

Simone came to work early in the morning and found the witch asleep in the armchair in Faith's room with Ariel sleeping beside her and the slayer on the bed. She tiptoed inside and noticed some bloody clothes and a damp blanket on the floor

"What in god's name happened here?" she asked aloud making the blonde stir. Tara opened her eyes and saw the scared nanny checking her surrounds

"Hey" she rubbed her sleepy eyes "busy night"

"Are you okay?" she asked concernedly and checked on Ariel

"Yeah, I'm fine" she stood up rolling her neck and shoulders. She moved to the bed, bent over and used her hand to feel the slayer's forehead. She pulled the blanket over her gently and moved away quietly in order not to disturb the brunette "but I need some coffee"

"What happened?" Tara was about to explain when she saw Ariel standing up in her crib

"Hey…morning baby girl" the witch whispered and lifted the baby "come on Simone…brew me some coffee and I'll fill you in"


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey guys,_

_Thanks for all the feedback…keep doing it!!!!!_

_Enjoy,_

_WA_

Part 8

Tara was at the study room typing some reports and researching something on the internet. She had called the coven and told them she'd be working from home. She thanked the goddess she didn't have any classes today, because she was in no shape to teach; her body was complaining because of the alert night and she had a little migraine.

The blonde was engrossed in her task when she heard someone entering the room. She moved her eyes from the computer screen and saw Faith getting in

"Oh my god…you're awake" she rushed to the brunette's side "are you okay?"

"Yeah…I think" the slayer looked pale and she had dark rings around her eyes. Tara cupped her face with both hands and moved one to feel her forehead "T, what happened?"

"You don't remember?" Tara pulled a chair and sat facing the brunette

"vaguely" she said shaking her head "I remember fighting a demon and feeling the pain of something piercing my body" she furrowed her brows trying to recollect the events from the previous night "I remember the blood…and I remember…you" she looked at the blonde "but it's all a big blur…I remember a strange man's voice and opening my eyes and seeing you a couple of times during the night…but I don't know if it was just a dream"

"It wasn't a dream" Tara offered softly "I had to call a doctor from the council…you were loosing to much blood"

"Oh" she said realizing the seriousness "it explains why I'm feeling so weak"

"Yeah…you scared me" the witch smiled and took off her glasses "is it hurting?"

"A little…" she shift in her seat and smiled sheepishly "but I'm actually hungry"

"Come on…go lie down that I'll prepare something for you to eat" Tara helped her up and they moved to the living room where Simone was playing with Ariel

"Hey, look who's come back from the dead" the nanny teased "how are you feeling slayer?"

"Like I've been stabbed and lost a gallon of blood" she smiled and lay down on the couch

"Good way to call attention" she sneered at the brunette

"What are you talking about?" Faith narrowed her eyes at the older woman who smiled and nodded towards the kitchen where Tara was preparing the food

"She spent the whole night at you bed side" she smirked "very worried"

"Really?" Faith smiled happily

"Oh yeah" she nodded "shame you were unconscious though" she teased again

"Bite me" she retorted but couldn't hide the grin that formed on her lips at the idea of the blonde taking care of her all night

The next morning Tara was talking on the phone sitting at the kitchen table

"Yeah, ok…have fun then" she smiled and ran one hand through her hair "I will… don't worry" she turned her head and saw the slayer approaching. Faith was in a much better shape; the color had returned to her face and she looked fresh from a shower, she seemed to have regained her strength "ok, see you soon…bye"

"Was that Giles?" the brunette asked pouring some coffee

"Yes…he said he hopes you get better soon" she said with a smile

"Thanks…how's the wedding?" she asked drinking her coffee

"It is tomorrow" Tara explained and sipped her tea "but he said he's gonna stay there for another week"

"Good" she nodded "are you going to the university?"

"Yes…I have classes today" she stood up and put her cup in the sink "how are you feeling?"

"Five by five…slayer healing" she shrugged and the blonde nodded

"But you should take it easy though" she advised "stay home and rest for today"

"Yes, ma'am" the blonde snorted and left shaking her head

Three days later and Faith was back to her routine as if nothing had happened. She knew, however that she owned Tara a big thank you, so she decided to get the blonde something really special. She got home late that night and found Tara sitting in the living room reading a novel

"Hey" she greeted

"Hey" Tara smiled a little lazily

"What are you doing up?"

"I was reading…guess I lost track of time" Faith nodded and sat on the couch next to the blonde looking like the cat that ate the canary "what?" Tara asked sensing the brunette was up to something

"Uh…remember that week I spent in Ireland?" she asked

"Yes" the blonde nodded suspiciously

"well…the council was after this warlock…wizard…whatever" she shook her head "anyway…we made this big bust at his place and one of the things that they were after was his library" she explained and Tara furrowed her brows trying to see where this was heading "it seems that he had a large…and I mean huge…collection of ancient and very rare books"

"And you're telling me that because…" Tara was curious

"Because the other day I heard you talking about a rare book you were trying to find and…" she smiled devilishly

"And???"

"And I got it for you" she said handing the blonde an old brown leather covered and very well preserved book. Tara eyes widened and she practically jumped from the couch

"Oh my god…oh my god…oh my god" she jumped excited "Faith I…I…I don't know what to say"

"you don't have to say anything" she grinned amazed by the blonde's reaction "take it as a 'thank you' for taking care of me"

"Oh my god…I-I can't" she shook her head trying to calm down "this is a r-rare, very rare, unique c-copy" she explained "it must cost a fortune"

"So?" the slayer shrugged nonchalantly

"So…how did you pay for it?" she questioned

"I didn't" she smiled wickedly "like I told you the guy had this huge collection"

"You stole the book?" she asked not believing her ears

"'Steal' is a very harsh word" she joked and stood up from the couch "let's say I…'relocated' it"

"How did you do it?" she was curious "didn't anybody notice?"

"As matter of fact only one person did" she said "but she won't say a word" she raised her brows cockily

"How can you be so sure?" Tara lifted an intrigued eyebrow

"Well, let's say that I…ahem…talked to her" she said and blushed. Tara was stunned by the brunette's thoughtfulness, she couldn't believe Faith had gone through so much trouble just to give her a present, nobody had ever made her feel so special…_"just Willow" _she thought and in an impulse she launched herself forward and flung her arms around the slayer.

Caught by surprise Faith remained motionless. She didn't expect this reaction from the blonde and she couldn't decide what to do; she didn't know if she should return the hug or not.

After a few seconds Tara started to feel uncomfortable by the lack of response from the brunette, she thought she'd embarrassed her. She felt stupid for being so impulsive and started to pull herself out. But suddenly she was contained by strong arms enlacing her tightly and keeping her in place.

Faith dropped her head to Tara's shoulder and started working her hands up and down against the girl's back; Tara relaxed and tightened her hold again. They remained like that for a few seconds until Faith started stroking the blonde's locks felling the scent of her shampoo, the smell was inebriant and she couldn't resist it. Slowly she started planting butterflies kisses on the blonde's shoulder.

Tara shut her eyes; she could feel how hard the slayer's heart was thudding and she could sense the need coming from her. She then felt the brunette press herself up against her body and felt the kisses being planted on her shoulder. She could feel the emotion, the warmth emanating from the slayer, her heart started pounding in sync with the brunette's, she closed her eyes and let herself being enveloped by the strong hands caressing her back.

Faith didn't find any resistance from the blonde so she got bolder and moved her kisses up to the witch's neck and jaw line; she brought her hands to the blonde's neck and parted a little so she could look into her eyes.

They stared at each other mutely for a few seconds. Faith was silently asking for permission to do the one thing she wanted most of all, claim the blonde lips in hers.

Tara knew that Faith was only waiting for the green light; the slayer wanted her permission to kiss her. She swallowed dryly, her head was spinning; she could think of many reasons to say no, to pull back and run away from there, but something inside was telling her to stay, to give in. Her instincts were shouting that she could trust the brunette, and that Faith wasn't going to hurt her. Before she realized it, her eyes were already sending the okay message.

Faith saw the gleam in the witch's eyes and accepted it as a 'go ahead' sign. The slayer pulled Tara's face gently, closing her eyes as she captured the blonde's lips with her owns.

Tara felt Faith's lips in hers and closed her eyes as well, the slayer's mouth was softer than she could've imagined and her touch was very sexy.

The kiss was tentative at first; Faith didn't want to scare the witch away, but slowly she began to open and close her mouth against Tara's.

As she felt the witch responding to it, she instinctively increased the rhythm eliciting a moan from the blonde. Tara's hands slid down the brunette's back and started to rub it up and down; Faith used her fingers to caress the blonde's scalp. She deepened the kiss by thrusting her tongue inside Tara's mouth moaning when she felt the witch responding with her own; Tara was slowly losing the battle against lust and felt a desire burning up, she pressed her body harder against the slayer sending a new wave of arousal into the brunette's core.

Feeling she was about to lose control, Faith decided to stop it before they did something she was sure Tara would regret later.

Slowly, she untangled her hands from Tara's hair and used them to pull the blonde's face away gently. Her eyes were half closed and her breathing heavy; she kept her hands on Tara's face and met the girl's eyes. She noticed that Tara was also aroused and smiled softly planting a final peck on the blonde's lips. She gazed into blue eyes and rested her forehead against the witch's.

Tara closed her eyes and tried to even her breath

"Faith…" she whispered breathlessly

"shh…please don't take this moment away" she shook her head that was still pressed against Tara's forehead "I've been dreaming for so long about kissing you" she confessed "but not even in my cockiest hopes I could imagine this would actually happen"

"I don't understand" Tara pulled away rubbing her face to try to clear her thoughts

"I fell in love with you" Faith admitted bravely "I don't know when it happened but…" she sighed as if not believing she was really confessing her feelings "listen T, I don't expect that you…you know…I just wanted you to know it" she gazed honestly into the blonde's eyes "no strings attached"

They stared at each other silently for a few seconds. Tara didn't know how to respond to the slayer's admission; she felt her heart pounding and was unable to move.

Faith realized the blonde needed to be left alone and decide to retire. She went to the witch, caressed her face softly and planted a sweet kiss on her lips

"No strings attached" she whispered again and exited leaving the blonde to process the night's overwhelming events


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

That night sleep couldn't find Tara. The blonde had twisted and turned for a couple of hours until she finally gave up hope.

She sat up on bed, rested her head against the headboard and sighed deeply. Her mind was a mess; Faith's kiss had affected her. Maybe she was just feeling lonely or maybe her feelings for the dark slayer had evolved without her noticing it.

She was confused. She closed her eyes and ran both hands through her hair as if trying to clear her mind.

She bent over and reached under the bed to retrieve a box filled with photographs. She opened it and started looking at the pictures.

The first one was from her holding Ariel in her arms; Giles had taken it at the hospital on the day she gave birth. She smiled sweetly remembering how emotional he had been that day; one of the two occasions she'd seen him crying, the other one was the day Buffy died.

The next picture was of the gang. Tara felt a pang in her heart, she missed them, she missed the fun they had together she even missed the scary and hard moments, they were her family.

She dried a tear that had slid down her cheek and grabbed another photo. This one saddened her even more. It was a picture of her and Willow; the redhead was holding her from behind and was laughing.

She remembered the day Xander took it. They were at a barbecue at Joyce's house, the first day of their summer break right after they had defeated Adam.

She sighed despondently, she'd been so happy with the red witch and she couldn't understand how such a wonderful thing ended up so badly.

She fiddled with the pictures and got one of Faith. She had taken this picture during the picnic the brunette had prepared for her few weeks ago. The slayer was up on the horse, holding Ariel tight against her body, both were laughing completely unaware of her taking the shot.

The image brought a smile to her lips and sent a wave of happiness through her soul. Ariel was a blissful child and she could tell that Faith was responsible for a great part of that.

"Maybe it's time to allow myself to feel again" she thought aloud and stiffened a yawn. She put the pictures back in the box, turned the lights off and slept peacefully through the rest of the night.

The next morning Tara had an early class at the university. She was wrapping up the lesson when the bell rang dismissing the group

"okay…chapter seven for next class" she raised her voice "leave your assignments on my desk and have a nice weekend" she told to a bunch of fidgeting students.

Slowly the group did as they were told and little by little they exited the room. When the last one finally left Tara turned to the door to see a figure leaning against the door frame

"Have you come to hand an assignment too?" she asked packing her things

"Actually, I came to hand in an apology" Faith moved towards the blonde

"Apology?" she asked with a raised brow

"For last night" she said stopping in front of the witch

"So, you didn't mean what you said then?" Tara nodded disappointedly

"No…I mean…yes" she sighed "I meant every word" she stated firmly "I just don't want to make you uncomfortable"

"Uncomfortable?" Tara furrowed her brows

"yeah" the slayer nodded and started pacing "and I totally understand if you don't want me around anymore" she rubbed her hands nervously "if you think it's too awkward…I can move out, you know" Tara watched her closely and knew the slayer was nervous "I'll talk to Giles and find a place to stay"

"I don't want you to move out" she said softly and stood in front of the brunette to stop her pacing "and you don't need to apologize either"

"Okay" she sighed again "I'm new at this 'deal with you feelings' kinda thing…help me out, please" she pled rubbing her face in a desperate manner "what should I do?"

"Well…I'm not an expert but…" she ducked her head shyly "when you like a girl, you usually ask her out" she gave her famous lopsided grin

"You mean like a date??????" the slayer was thrown aback

"Uh-huh" the blonde bit her lip not to laugh at the slayers comic expression

"You wanna go out with me on a date?" she checked

"Was that an invitation?" Tara asked cynically enjoying teasing the slayer

"I don't know…would you say 'yes'?" Faith wanted to make sure she was listening correctly

"Maybe if I was asked" she was in a good mood

"Okay" she clasped her hands tightly and gathered some courage "T, would you go out with me tonight?"

"Tonight?" she asked surprised

"Yeah, why? Are you busy?" she asked a little disappointed

"No, but…I just have to check with my nanny" she explained and a saw a smile of relief break into the slayer's face

"I'll take care of that" she offered pleased that Tara wasn't toying with her "don't worry…is eight o'clock good for you?"

"Yes…yes it's fine" she nodded and smiled nervously

"Okay…it's a date then" both women were nodding and giggling like two teenage girls. Faith rushed outside stumbling in a few unwary chairs that were in the way.

She was euphoric; she couldn't believe that it was actually happening.

Back at the house the telephone rang and Simone moved to pick it up

"Hello" she answered and heard someone talking fast and incoherently at the other side of the line "okay…Faith slow down…I can't understand a word you're saying"

"_I said that I have a date with Tara…tonight"_ she repeated in a normal speed

"Bloody hell…that's fabulous"

"_I think so too…can you watch the kid?"_ she asked hopefully

"Oh dear…you said tonight?" she asked with a smirk pleased the slayer couldn't see her face

"_Yeah…tonight at eight" _she confirmed

"Oh bugger…I'm afraid I have plans…you might just have to cancel your date then" she was trying hard to stiff a laugh

"_What??? No…hey, come on Mary Popins…I'll pay you extra…double extra"_ she offered desperately _"you're not gonna do that to me, are you?"_

"Of course not…" she laughed "I'm just messing with you dumb ass…sure I'll baby-sit tonight"

"_You realize I'm gonna kill you, right?" _

"No you're not…cause I'm gonna help you prepare a perfect first date for your girl" she smiled sweetly "now get your slayer butt over here and let's set everything for tonight"

"_Be there in ten minutes"_ she hung up and rushed home

At ten to eight Faith walked into the living room. The slayer was wearing her traditional pair of black leather pants with a silk sleeveless and very feminine blue blouse, her hair was tied up in a ponytail style and she was wearing very light make up

"Hey, look at you all dressed up" Simone greeted her

"How do I look?" she asked surprisingly insecure

"Gorgeous…absolutely gorgeous" the nanny tried to put her at ease

"Please" she snorted and rolled her eyes "I may settle for hot…but gorgeous, nope" she shook her head "Tara is…" she stopped amazed by the sight of the witch entering the room wearing a black halter neck dress, soft make up and with her hair tight in a single braid "gorgeous"

"Hi" she smiled shyly waiting for the slayer to say something. Faith seemed to be entranced by the sight; she only reacted when Simone bumped her with her shoulder

"Hi…hi" she swallowed dryly "you look…amazing" she complimented and smiled when the witched blushed up "shall we?" she offered softly receiving a nod from the other woman

"Uh…Simone, are you sure it isn't…" she was cut by the nanny

"Yeah, yeah…it's okay Tara" she waved a dismissively hand at the blonde "I love to watch Ariel, besides a couple of Disney movies and a sugar free diet, she'll be out like a light"

"Okay then" Tara relaxed and Faith brought their coats. They walked to the door and stepped outside

"Have fun you two" Simone said

"Thank you" Faith replied and received two thumbs up before closing the door behind her

Faith took Tara to a nice and cozy restaurant downtown. It had minimalist décor and candle lit tables that created a relaxing atmosphere. The draped booths and the intimate lighting provided the perfect backdrop for a romantic evening.

"Faith, this place is wonderful" Tara complimented pleased "how did you find it?"

"Mary Popins recommended it" she sipped her wine "she said it would be perfect for a first date"

"Good taste" she said cleaning her mouth with her napkin

"She's not British, is she?" Faith asked curiously

"No…French" Tara answered tasting a piece of the vol-au-vent they ordered as an appetizer

"Figures" she shrugged and bit a piece of the French pastry

"Yeah…when I moved here, it was just me and Giles" she explained "but after Ariel was born, I needed help" the slayer nodded fully interested "she came very well recommended from the coven"

"Do you think she and Giles are…" she raised an eyebrow funnily "you know"

"Have you noticed anything?" Tara asked curiously

"Well, they try to cover it but I think even the kiddo knows there's something going on there"

"True" Tara smiled from behind her glass hem

"You have a beautiful smile" Faith complimented and Tara blushed "who did you get that from?" she continued captivated by the blonde's beauty "your mom?"

"Yes" she nodded "she was so beautiful"

"Was?"

"Yeah…my mom died when I was sixteen" she said playing with her napkin

"I'm sorry to hear that" Faith offered honestly

"Thank you" Tara whispered and looked at the slayer "she was a witch…taught me everything that I know" she sipped her wine before continuing "after she passed away I started practicing very little, so I dedicated myself to the books until I moved to Sunnydale and met…Willow" she squirmed after mentioning the redhead's name, she didn't want to cause any awkwardness and ruin the night. Faith sensed the blonde's discomfort and decided to change the subject

"Shall we order?" she asked hurriedly

"Yes, I'm a bit hungry" she chuckled relieved that Faith let it pass without commenting. The rest of the night went on smoothly. The food was delicious, the talk was nice and their date, perfect. They walked back home in a very comfortable silence, both enjoying the walk not minding the chili evening. They arrived at the house and Tara proceeded to open the door. She stopped and turned to see Faith standing still at the front porch

"You're not coming in?" she asked intrigued

"Nope" Faith shook her head

"Because…" she motioned for the slayer to explain

"you know…according to the book of dating rules, in a first date, you're supposed to walk the lady to her door, kiss her goodnight and pray for her to call you in the morning to set a second date"

"You read the book?" Tara asked amazed, totally enjoying the playfulness

"Read it…heard about it…same thing" she said shrugging. Tara giggled and Faith smiled. She stepped towards the blonde and looked deeply in her eyes; Tara locked their gaze and felt her heartbeat accelerate. Faith kept her stare and tried hard not to shake. She reached down and took Tara's hand in hers. She looked at their entwined fingers and then back at sapphire blue eyes. She leaned over and captured the blonde's sweet lips. The kiss was very sensual, but the slayer made no attempt to deepen it. She let it last for a few seconds and pulled back gently

"Goodnight" she said stepping down the stairs

"Where are you going?"

"Patrolling" she informed and smiled charmingly "call me in the morning?" Tara nodded and grinned back at her

"Watch out for demons carrying blades" she teased

"Wise ass" Faith replied and left feeling very pleased with their first date


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey Guys, _

_Don't forget that I love feedback, ok?_

_Merry Christmas!!!!!!_

_WA_

Part 10

Faith entered the kitchen and met Simone cleaning up something

"Morning" she greeted

"Hey" the nanny turned to look at her "so I guess last night was a big success, huh?"

"Can you tell it?" Faith asked unable to hide her grin

"Either that or you just slept with a hanger in your mouth" she teased

"Oh, shut up" she retorted

"Come on, tell me…how was it?" she pried

"My-my…aren't we curious?" it was the slayer's turn to tease

"Oh please, Faith" she pled "I've been following the whole process…you're not gonna deprive me of the best parts now, are you?"

"It was great" she offered honestly "she is great"

"So are you guys a couple now?" the nanny asked eagerly

"Hey…hey…easy cupid" she joked "it was just a first date" she explained "let's see how it turns out"

"Clever" she complimented

"I know" she lifted her brow cockily "hey, it's quiet in here" she noticed "where's the kid?"

"Tara took her to the airport to pick up Giles" she explained "he's arriving today"

"Oh…okay" she grabbed a piece of toast and turned to leave

"Stop" Simone warned "get back here and have a decent breakfast"

"Okay, mom" she obeyed and sat down at the table

Few hours later, the slayer was lying lazily at the couch watching TV. She was so entertained that she didn't notice Tara entering the room. The blonde stood behind the couch and spoke softly

"Hi" Faith turned to look at her "what are you watching?"

"Xena, the warrior princess" she answered with a big grin

"Seriously???" Tara asked wrinkling her nose

"You kidding me??? Xena rocks" she declared excitedly "she has such cool moves…plus the blonde is hot" Tara laughed at the slayer's enthusiasm. Faith turned off the TV and sat up on the couch "where's Giles?"

"In his room…I guess" she informed

"So, how was the wedding?"

"You know…it's Anya and Xander so you can imagine things getting off track" she moved and sat on the arm of the couch "but they're married and happy now" she smiled "that what matters in the end, right?"

"I guess" Faith shrugged "and how's little old SunnyD?"

"hellmouth-y like usual" she nodded

"Uh-huh…gotta any messages" she asked trying to sound nonchalant

"Yes…a couple from Dawn, Buffy and some not very friendly from Anya" Tara answered fully aware where this was heading "you know…she's still mad that I didn't go to the wedding"

"Hum…" the brunette bowed her head and bit the inside of her cheek "anybody else?" she asked sheepishly

"No" Tara shook her head and decided to cut to the chase "no messages from Willow…if that's what you mean"

"Sorry, T…" she sighed embarrassedly "I didn't mean to sound so…pathetic" the blonde closed her eyes and smiled softly

"You know…I had a date last night" she said playfully changing the subject

"Really, was it good?" the grin returned to the brunette's features

"Yes, very pleasant" she nodded

"Oh…was she hot?" she joked

"Yeah…and a very good kisser" Tara declared causing the brunette to kneel on the couch and move closer to her

"Is that so?" she whispered and leaned towards the blonde's inviting lips

"fa-fy" they jerked their heads and saw Ariel entering the room

"Hey look at that" Faith smiled proudly at the little baby standing at the door

"Oh my god" Tara gasped and covered her mouth with both hands "she's walking" she said tearfully "I can't believe…my daughter's first steps" Faith alternated her looks between the happy baby and the crying mom felling touched by the moment

"Bloody hell" Giles stopped dead on his tracks when he saw his granddaughter walking unsupported "I think that calls for a celebration" they all nodded in agreement

The celebration consisted in a small barbecue at the watcher's backyard; they were all outside having a good time and enjoying this unique moment.

Giles was standing near the grill observing something with a keen interest

"That's a big wrinkle you have on your forehead Rupert" Simone said handing him a glass of wine "what is it for?"

"What's going on in there?" he asked nodding towards Tara and Faith playing with Ariel "did anything happen while I was away?"

"Yes" she answered simply and watched Faith feeding a banana to the young blonde while Tara laughed "Tara began her healing process"

"With Faith?" he asked concernedly "do you think she's the best choice?"

"I think she's just what doctor prescribed" she smiled at him "both of them are"

"What do you mean?"

"They may not be meant to be but they're perfect for each other right now" she offered and turned back at the girls "they both need to heal old wounds"

"Still…I'm not really sure I can trust the rouge slayer" he said skeptically and received a raised eyebrow "don't get me wrong she's been having an impeccable behavior since she arrived but…"

"but people change Rupert" she cut him off "when you met her, she was just a teenager…God knows what might have happened if she'd had an influence like Tara back then" she wondered "and Tara, how often have you seen her laughing since she arrived here?" she questioned "look at her now…she's happy" she nodded at the blonde lying on the grass with her child on top of her "give Faith some credit…her feelings for Tara are honest, and I think your daughter can see it the way I do" she explained "so she's trying…she's trying to mend her broken heart"

He furrowed his brows and looked back at the witch and the slayer as if considering what the nanny just said

"Be smart old watcher" she said playfully "don't be an obstacle" she advised and raised her glass "cheers" she deposited it on the table and joined the girls on their fun.

Later that day, Giles and Tara were sitting quietly at the living room when Faith rushed in and dropped unceremoniously on the couch next to the blonde

"whatcha doing?" she asked in a childlike manner

"Reading" Tara answered softly lifting the book in her hands

"Boring" Faith shook her head and jumped from the couch "let's go for a walk"

"I can't…I have to watch Ariel" she said pitifully

"I'll watch her" Giles offered honestly

"Oh Giles…I appreciate it, but you're tired and jet-lagged" she said thoughtfully "you should get some rest"

"Nonsense" he waved a dismissively hand at her "I love spending time with my grandchild"

"Besides, she's already sleeping" Faith bantered and received a raised eyebrow as an answer

"Alright" Tara agreed and left with the slayer

The weather was a little cold, so the girls zipped up their coats and walked comfortably side by side

"Jesus, I can't believe it" Faith said amazed "you spent your whole life thinking you were a demon?" Tara nodded and she shook her head "that's absurd…I mean there isn't a single drop of evil in your system"

"I was a child, Faith" she explained "I grew up listening that I had a demon inside and that my powers came from evil…I believed it" she sighed despondently "my father used to beat up my mom…he said he wanted to rid her of the evil she carried" she snorted bitterly "but she never let him touch me…she always protected me" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath "but after she passed away…my life became a living hell"

"Did he beat you?" Faith stopped suddenly filling her anger building up

"No…not him…my b-b-brother" Tara lowered her head letting her hair cover her embarrassed face "my father just s-s-stood there and did n-n-nothing"

"What did you do?" the slayer could feel a mix of anger and sorrow; she wanted to hug the blonde and kiss her pain away

"I gathered all my courage, used the trust fund my mother had left me and ran away in the middle of the night…like a fugitive"

"Man" Faith clenched her teeth and shook her head trying to control her rage "I better never run into your family"

"It's okay…I don't hate them" she smiled sadly

"Well…you should…after all they did to you…and your mother" she felt her temper sparkling "how can you forgive them?"

"hating them won't do me any good" she explained calmly "it'll just poison my soul" she looked seriously at the brunette "but I'm not a saint…I don't want any business with them" she said sternly "and I don't want them anywhere near my daughter" she saw Faith watching her adorably and blushed "what?"

"You're amazing" the brunette had an admiring look on her face

"No, I'm not" she shied away

"Yes, you are" the slayer whispered and used one hand to cup the witch's face. Tara met her eyes and she leaned over to reach her soft lips.

Before their mouths connect though, Faith felt a drop of water touching her hand. She looked up to the sky and saw really dark clouds

"Uh-oh" she stepped back "I think we'd better run"

The rain came down hard and fast, the girls barely had time to find a shelter

"Where did that come from?" Tara asked giggling and drying her face

"Who knows?" Faith shrugged "crazy weather" she looked at Tara who was rubbing her arms to try to warm up. She took off her jacket and offered it to the blonde "here…take this"

"No…you're gonna get cold" she tried to argue

"I'll be fine" she insisted "don't worry" she smiled and rubbed the blonde's arms. Tara gazed into the brunette's eyes and grinned; she then reached and tucked a stray hair that was on the slayer's face behind her ear.

Faith locked eyes with the blonde and gave in to the urge inside. She pinned Tara to the nearest wall and kissed the blonde senseless. Tara welcomed the kiss and they engaged into a very hot make out section.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hey guys,_

_Thanks for all the reviews…you're the best!!!_

_Keep doing it…_

_Enjoy,_

_WA_

Part 11

It's been two weeks since their first date and the girls were getting very comfortable around each other though they still haven't discussed what was happening between them. They still haven't labeled it yet, and this fact was beginning to unsettle the slayer.

Tara was so busy this morning that she didn't have time to have lunch, so Faith decided to bring her something to eat at the university.

Although the door was open, she knocked anyway. She steeped inside Tara's office but froze when she saw the same blonde bimbo she'd seen at the house sitting close to the witch, too close for her taste

"Hey" Tara greeted when she saw the slayer standing at the door "that's a nice surprise"

"Yeah…I brought you some lunch" she offered glaring seriously at the other blonde woman

"Thanks…that's very sweet" Tara said taking the bag but sensing some weird vibes coming from the brunette.

Faith could feel her anger rising up at the hungry look on the bitch's face. The woman was on a mission she could feel that. She clinched her teeth tightly trying to control her rage; she didn't want to do anything stupid and jeopardize what she'd already built with Tara.

The blonde witch could feel the electricity emanating from the slayer. There was something wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it yet

"Uh…have you met Jennifer?" she said tentatively seeing the slayer had the other woman pinned in a deadly stare "she's a professor here too…I'm helping her study for a mastering exam"

"Nice" she said practically hissing "I have to go" she spun around and stormed out leaving a confused witch behind

Outside Faith found the cold weather quite opportune to chill out some of her fuming nerves. Her body was shaking with anger; she needed to break something in order to get rid of her fury

"Faith"

The slayer heard her name and turned around

"What?" she barked

"What was that all about?" Tara asked confused "why did you leave like that?"

"Because I didn't want to break that bitch's face"

"And why would you want to do that?" Tara questioned crossing her arms in front of her chest

"Dude, are you blind?" Faith yelled feeling her heartbeat accelerate "that woman is a fucking minx"

"Okay…first, I'm not a 'dude' " Tara said annoyed "second…what are you talking about?"

"The little horny cow in there" she pointed back with her thumb "she's dying to get into your pants…and I simply can't tell her to fuck off 'cause I'm not your damn girlfriend"

"Is that what this is all about?" Tara asked finally understanding what was really bugging the slayer "you want us to be girlfriends?"

"Hell…yeah"

"Then, why don't you just ask?" she opened her arms in exasperation

"Would you be my girlfriend?" she blurted out

"Oh, that's romantic…" she teased "is that the best you can do?"

"No…I could…get down on my knees" she started nervously

"It's not a marriage proposal" Tara chuckled and shook her head "I'd love to be your girlfriend"

"Really?" the slayer was grinning like a fool

"Really…'dude' " Tara joked and Faith passed her arm around her waist pulling her close into a celebrating kiss. They parted and the slayer looked at her seriously

"Does that mean I can tell her to fuck off now?"

"Use nicer words" she recommended

"Okay…I can do that" she nodded considering the request "come on, let's get some reference straight" she took Tara's hand and started walking back to her office

"Do you wanna pee around me?" Tara asked giggling when she saw the slayer puffing out her chest in a possessive manner

"Hum…don't give any ideas" she lifted her brows funnily making the blonde laugh

A couple of days later, things were going on just fine. Faith walked silently into the kitchen where Tara was standing at the sink with her back to the door.

The slayer leaned against the doorframe and stared at the blonde's shape. Her eyes navigated up and down Tara's body drinking on the witch's delicious curves. After all these months training regularly her body was nicely shaped, not fat, and not skinny…just perfect.

The slayer could feel her lust building up as she continued to devour the blonde with her eyes.

Not being able to hold back any longer she entered the room approaching the target from behind

"Something smells delicious in here" she said hoarsely

"Oh…I'm cooking dinner" Tara answered innocently

"I wasn't talking about the food" she replied in a sultry tone.

Faith enlaced her arms around the witch's waist and started planting soft kiss on her neck

"Oh…" Tara closed her eyes and cocked her head to the side giving the slayer full access.

The blonde could feel Faith's hands roaming around her body and pressed her back harder against the slayer's breasts

"Hum…" Faith gave in to her needs and spun Tara around trapping her against the refrigerator door.

She kissed the blonde hungrily; her hand slid under the blonde's top and cupped a bra-clad breast passionately.

Tara moaned when she felt the intimate touch, her hips got a life of their own and started rocking against Faith's.

The girls were so totally lost in passion and lust that they barely heard someone clearing their throat

"Ahem…" they parted hurriedly and saw Giles standing there pretending to clean something on the table "uh…Tara, you have a phone call"

The blonde blushed a beet red, she was all flushed and a little out of breath. She tried hard to steady her heartbeat and keep a little dignity

"T-t-thank you" she took the cordless phone and left the room quickly

Giles gaze landed on the slayer who was with the refrigerator door opened, apparently trying to cool down

"So…how's things at the council?" he asked trying to make small talk and get over the embarrassing situation. Faith pressed a bottle of water against her forehead and gave him a murdering glare. She was really frustrated.

"Okay…I guess" she took a deep breath and sat on the counter "they were kinda of freaking out about something I didn't really pay attention to" she said gulping the water "I'm telling you…those guys are real drama queens"

"Well…I can't disagree with you on that one" he said chuckling. He moved to the stove and started boiling some water

"I don't think they get laid very often" she offered shrugging

"Uh…I don't pay much attention to their sex lives" he said pouring the water in a cup

"Whose sex lives?" Tara asked entering back in the kitchen all recomposed, but still blushing

"Oh…no one dear" he said trying to placate the blonde's embarrassment "we were just chatting"

"About people's sex lives?" she lifted an intrigued eyebrow to the slayer who had a smirk on her face

"No…I mean…never mind" he gave up and sipped his tea "is everything alright?" he asked sensing a little tension coming from the witch

"Who was that on the phone?" Faith asked also sensing the blonde's discomfort

"It was Dawn" she answered and sat dawn on a chair "she wants to come here for the holidays"

"Ah, yes…she mentioned that to me, but I didn't think Buffy would allow it"

"Apparently she's okay with that…" she sighed and put her elbows on the table supporting her head with both hands "what am I gonna do?"

"You think you can trust her?" Faith questioned

"I don't know" she shook her head "I mean…I love Dawn, but I don't know how she's gonna react to the fact that I hid Ariel from Willow" she wondered "she's gonna hate me"

"She wouldn't…not Dawn" Giles said sitting next to the blonde

"Neither Dawn nor anyone in their right mind" Faith smiled trying to comfort her girlfriend "when is she arriving?"

"This weekend" she informed

"Okay" Faith leaped from the counter "so you just go pick her up at the airport and have a nice long talk" she said smoothing her girl's hair "she'll understand"

"Faith is right…if you talk to her she'll understand your reasons to hide Ariel" Giles offered in a fatherly tone

"Me, on the other hand" Faith said dejectedly

"What?" Tara furrowed her brows worried about the brunette's tone

"well…for starters, I kidnapped her mother, tried to kill her sister and was a bitch to her friends" she explained "and now I'm dating you…Red's ex-girlfriend" she snorted "I don't think she's gonna be thrilled to see me"

"She'll have to cope" Tara said seriously locking eyes with her girlfriend


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12

Tara could feel all the butterflies on her stomach coming to life when she heard a voice announcing that the flight coming from Los Angeles had just landed.

She couldn't believe how nervous she was to meet Dawn again. She loved the youngest Summers like a little sister and was really afraid of her reaction; she didn't want the girl to hate her.

She saw the gates opening and took a deep breath.

Dawn was one of the first people to come out through the arrival terminal gateway.

She spied Tara immediately and her face lit up in delight. Tara grinned back and ran to meet her

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god" Dawn bounced excitedly and enveloped Tara in a heartfelt hug "I can't believe I'm seeing you again"

"Hey Dawnie…I missed you so much" Tara laughed at the squealing girl and hugged her back "let me look at you" she said stepping back from the hug "boy…you're so grown up…and tall" she said tearfully

"I'm taller than Buffy" she said proudly

"I bet you are" she replied happily

"Where's Giles?" she asked searching for the watcher

"Oh…he couldn't come" Tara answered feeling the nervousness return "you'll meet him at the house"

"Ok…let's go then" she offered eagerly

"Uh…listen, Dawnie…before we go…there's something I'd like to talk to you about" she said tentatively

"Okay…shoot" she replied oblivious to the witch's anxiety

"It's just that I…I h-h-have to tell you s-s-something" she sighed "it's really important that you listen to everything that I have to say before you f-f-freak out, ok?"

"Alright…what is it?" she asked intrigued of what could be so serious

"Let's sit down and have something to drink" she offered and they moved to the food court where Tara proceeded to explain everything that happened since she left Sunnydale

Some time later…

"Oh…my…God" Dawn exclaimed wide-eyed "I can't believe it"

"Dawn, I know that it's too much for…"

"I can't believe you have a child" she interrupted still in shock

"Dawn…" she tried again

"Oh my God…" the girl was astonished "a-a-and Willow is the father?"

"Technically…yes" the blonde nodded hesitantly

"This is…" she shook her head as if searching for the right word "this is…"

"Sweetie…" Tara was on the verge of tears

"AWSOME"

"What?" Tara was thrown aback by the outburst "you're not freaked?"

"Why would I be freaked?" she asked not getting the blonde's apprehension "this is great…" she fidgeted excitedly "is she a redhead?"

"What…who…no…no she's blonde" she answered still surprised by the teenager's reaction "you're not mad that I haven't told anyone about her?"

"No…I totally got your reasons" she said nonchalantly "you didn't trust Willow back then so you didn't want her to know"

Tara breathed a sigh of relieve she should have given Dawn more credit…

"But she's okay now…" the teenager said with a smirk

"Huh?"

"Willow…she's doing fine now…and she's still single you know" she smiled wiggling her brows devilishly

"Oh…" Tara said realizing what she meant "about that…"

"What? You still single too, right?"

"Uh…I…" she tried but was cut again

"and you guys still love each other…cause the kind of love you two have…it doesn't simply go away" she babbled "you're soul mates, right?"

Tara closed her eyes and took a deep breath to gather strength for the next part of the story; she knew Faith was right and Dawn would not take it nicely

"Uh…actually there's something else I have to tell you" she said bracing herself for the explosion

Few hours later Tara helped Dawn bring her luggage inside the house

"Hey I'm home" she shouted from the door and was greeted by a dashing little blonde

"Mama"

"Hi sweetie" she said picking the girl up and kissing her soundly "I missed you" the baby shrilled joyfully

Tara laughed and motioned for Dawn to come in

"Come here Dawnie…there's someone I want you to meet" she said and smiled to her baby "this is Ariel…the most precious gift of my life" the brunette grinned to the cute baby

"Hi, little one" she tried to approach but the girl shied away and hid her face on Tara's neck

"It's okay she'll warm up to you" Dawn turned to see a beautiful mature woman smiling sweetly at her "hi, I'm Simone…I'm Ariel's nanny"

"Hi…nice to meet you" she said shaking the woman's hand

"Dawn…welcome" Giles greeted entering the room

"Hey Giles" she said hugging him affectionately "it's nice to see you again"

"It most certainly is nice too see you too" he kissed her head "how was your flight?"

"Good" she nodded and saw Tara putting Ariel on the floor. The girl was still suspicious, so Simone sat down to play with her

"Hey Ariel, wanna play with your doll?" she said getting the baby's attention

"Doll" the baby repeated "dog" she said taking another toy

"Is this your dog?" Dawn said trying to get close again "woof…woof" she mimicked a bark making the kid laugh

Tara watched the interaction with a smile on her lips

"So I see everything turned out okay, huh?" Giles whispered to the blonde

"Let's hope" she said rubbing her own arms "where's Faith?" she asked in a low voice

"I don't know" he shook his head "she left early…she said she had some work to do" she nodded and turned her attention back to her daughter

A couple of hours later the group was still gathered in the living room. Tara, Giles and Simone were drinking some tea while Dawn played on the floor with Ariel.

The front door opened and Faith walked in

"fa...fy" Ariel squealed and clapped her hands glad to see the slayer

"Hi there kiddo…miss me?" she knelt and rubbed her nose on the baby's belly tickling her

"Hey…get away from the girl" Simone threw a cushion at the slayer "you'll make her pee" Faith gave her a threatening look "you don't scare me"

"Yeah…whatever" she shrugged and stood up

"Hi…remember me?" Tara said lifting a challenging brow to the brunette

"Sorry" she scratched her head, looked at Dawn and leaned to peck Tara on the lips "hi"

"Where have you been?" Giles asked curiously

"Training, working…" she offered simply "by the way, call Mr. McKnight"

"I will…thank you" he said walking to the kitchen

"Yeah" she nodded and tried to leave the room as well

"Uh...Faith?" Tara called her back "do you remember Dawn?"

"Buffy's sister…yeah" she replied nonchalantly "what's up?"

The teenager didn't answer; she just stood up, crossed her arms across her chest and glared disapprovingly at the brunette slayer

"Charming" Faith scoffed and put her bitchy mask on "I'll be in there if you need me" she told Tara and left giving a scornful look at the younger girl

Tara sighed and rubbed her forehead worried about the upcoming events

In the kitchen Giles had just poured himself some bourbon when Faith came in and took the glass from his hand

"Thanks" she said gulping it in a single shot and grimacing

"Everything alright?" he asked reaching for another glass

"Peachy" she answered slumping on a chair "five minutes and I already want to choke that scamp"

"You have to be patient" he said sitting next to her "it's part of the growing up process"

"What do you mean?" she gave him an annoyed look

"I see lots of improvements in you Faith" he took off his glasses and started cleaning them "you're different…I must confess that I wasn't really sure about bringing you here…inside my home, close to my family, but…"

"Is that the part where you give me the 'if you hurt my daughter, I'll kill you' speech?" she asked in a bored tone

"I wasn't planning on being so…graphic, but considering what Tara had already been through" he said tucking his glasses back on "if you hurt my daughter, I will hurt you" he stood up and leaned close to her in a threatening gesture "do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear" she nodded and took a long calming breath.

"Don't mind him" Simone said entering the kitchen after Giles had left "he's just being overprotective"

"Yeah…just my luck" she snorted and stood up to pour another drink.

The nanny looked at her and frowned

"Don't let the girl get to your nerves" she advised worriedly

"I don't give a damn about her" she snapped crankily

"But you care about Tara" she cautioned her "and she's important to Tara"

"And so am I…" she retorted irritated "or at least I was supposed to be" she swigged the drink and left

Simone watched her go and shook her head concernedly; she had a very bad feeling about this

Later that day, Tara met Faith at the study room; the slayer was playing some computer fighting game.

"Hey" she started cautiously sensing her girlfriend's grumpiness

"Where's the brat?" she said not taking her eyes off the screen

"Which one?" the blonde tried to lighten the mood but received an annoyed look "outside…with Giles and Ariel" she answered simply and saw Faith hitting the keyboard mercilessly

"Listen…it's not gonna be easy, ok?" she stood behind the chair where the brunette was sitting "but I need you to try" she pled "can you do that for me?"

The slayer quit the game and spun the chair to look at her girlfriend

"You know I'd do anything for you" she offered honestly and received the blonde's beautiful lopsided grin as an answer "that smile makes me fall for you all over again"

Tara locked eyes with the slayer and saw nothing but love emanating from them.

She felt a wave of emotion run through her body and was unable to contain a lonely tear that slid down her face

"Thank you" she whispered and leaned down to kiss her girlfriend

Faith pulled her to her lap and they kiss affectionately; this kiss wasn't about lust, it was about falling in love.


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey guys,_

_Thanks for all the feedback…keep doing it!!!_

_You're the best,_

_WA_

Part 13

Tara and Simone had prepared a nice dinner to celebrate Dawn's arrival. Everybody was sat at the table enjoying the meal and listening to the younger Summers prattling unstoppably

"oh and Buffy said that there was this thing that just came out from inside her head…eww…disgusting…anyway, it happened after the invisible ray" she talked excitedly ignoring the fact that Faith was almost ripping her own arm off just to beat her with it "I'm telling you those guys were complete freaks…they put cameras all over the places…in the house, on campus even at the magic box…but Willow managed to hack all of them" she sneaked a glance at Faith after she mentioned the redhead's name "you know how good Willow is with computers…but, well, you know how good she is with everything else" she was determined to nag the slayer "she's a genius…smart, funny…Willow is great"

"Uh…can I have the salad, please?" Giles asked trying to appease the mood

"Sure…here" Faith handed him the bowl trying hard to remain calm

"Hey Giles…did you call Mr. McKnight?" Tara asked doing her best to keep the subject off of the redhead witch

"Oh, yes of course" he said sipping his wine "he's planning a trip to Romania…Transylvania to be more specific" he informed and looked at Faith "he was wondering if we could escort a group of potential slayers there"

"Yeah…sure" she shrugged "might be fun"

"I bet Transylvania is the Disneyland of slayers" Simone joked causing a fit of giggles

"Speaking of it…" Dawn started again making Faith roll her eyes in exasperation "do you remember that trip we took to Disneyland?"

"Yes…we had a good time" Tara answered with a small smile. She was fully aware that Faith was reaching her boiling point

"It was so much fun…all the gang together" she said provocatively "only the perfect couples…Buffy and Riley, Xander and Anya…you and Willow" she said sneering

"Dawn…" Tara warned when she saw Faith squeezing the fork so hard that her knuckles were turning white

"What…I'm just saying it" she faked innocence

"You're just saying it…to get under my skin" the slayer hissed through clenched teeth

"Man…you're really full of yourself, aren't you?" she snorted "I would never give you so much credit"

"No…you give 'so much credit' for someone who hurt Tara badly" she snapped angrily

"Faith…" Tara tried to hold her girlfriend down

"Oh…and wasn't your beloved Willow who drove a car into a wall with you sitting next to her?" she asked mockingly

"It wasn't her fault" Dawn raised her voice "she was sick…she'd never hurt me or anyone else intentionally" she advocated in favor of the redhead "which is more than I can say for you" she attacked "by the way, shouldn't you be in jail?"

Faith was about to come back with a sharp retort when Giles slapped the table startling everybody

"Enough" he said sternly "I won't tolerate this kind of attitude…this is a home filled with love and peace" he stated firmly "and you two are going to behave"

The room fell silent for a few seconds until Faith shoved her chair backwards and storm out of the there

"Faith" Tara went after her girlfriend and shot a disapproving look at the teenager

"Faith, wait…" she frowned when she saw the brunette putting on her coat "where are you going?"

"I don't know" she said tucking the scarf into her jacket "I need to get out"

"It's freezing outside" Tara tried to argue

"I'll find a way to warm up" she snapped cynically

"Oh, that's mature" she said ironically "what are you going to do? Go to a bar, get drunk and have sex with a random stranger?"

"I wouldn't…" she started but was cut by a fuming Tara

"Cause that's your first solution for everything, right?" she asked opening her arms "every little thing and you just storm out of the room in a theatrical exit"

"Hey, that's me…that's the way I am" Faith yelled back "I'm sorry if I'm not as perfect as your precious Red"

"Willow is not perfect" she declared seriously "and I also never asked you to be"

"Even so…I'll never be as good as her" she said dejectedly

"And I don't expect it either" Tara said furrowing her brows "I don't want you to be like her" she said honestly "I want you to be…yourself"

"But little old me is not good enough for you" she declared and lowered her head in an uncharacteristic defeated gesture

"You're right…" Tara nodded in agreement "the old Faith is not good enough for me" she narrowed her eyes at the brunette "and neither is this one standing self-depreciatively in front of me" Faith looked up and met her eyes "I want the other Faith…the one who won my heart with her kindness, her sense of humor, her generosity" she said smiling sadly at the slayer "I want the one you try so hard to hide from the world" she sighed "you can't let a seventeen-year-old kid push all your buttons like that"

"She's not a kid, Tara" she shot defensively "she knows damn well what she's doing"

"You're right…she's not a kid" she nodded in acknowledgment "but you should be the adult…that's what I expect from my girlfriend" she stated firmly "grow up Faith"

Tara turned around and left not giving the slayer a chance to reply

About half an hour later, Dawn entered the study room where Tara was sitting by herself on the couch with her head resting against the wall and her eyes closed

"Tara" she called tentatively

"That was not cool, Dawn" she scolded without even opening her eyes

"I know…I'm sorry" she sat on the couch next to the blonde "but I don't understand what you're doing with her"

"It's complicated" she sighed and leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees

"No it's not…it's simple" she shifted in place and faced Tara "you take Ariel, get on a plane and head back to Sunnydale"

"I can't do that" the witch sighed and supported her head with her hands

"Why not?" she insisted "you guys love each other…you can work things out"

"Dawn…"

"No…" the girl shook her head and stood up "Willow once told me that when people have such strong feelings for each other, they always find a way to make it work" she pressed "you belong with Willow…not Faith, she's evil"

"No, she's not" she said firmly "she's a wonderful person…you just have to know her"

"I'm sorry but I don't buy that" she replied crossing her arms stubbornly in front of her chest "she tried to kill my sister"

"She's changed…" Dawn opened her mouth to argue but was silenced by Tara's raised hand "and she's my girlfriend…you have to respect that" she warned seriously "you can't keep talking about Willow all the time"

"I wasn't talking about Willow all the time" Tara lifted a challenging brow "okay, I was…but…"

"No buts" Tara cut her off "if you love me, you're going to respect my decision…" she said "you're not a child anymore"

"Fine…I'll try" she sighed dramatically

"Thank you…that's all I ask" the blonde said getting up from the couch "I know she'd done terrible things and that you have every reason to hate her" she stroke the girl's hair gently "but she's different now…open your heart and I'm sure you'll like her…okay?"

"Okay" she agreed honestly

"Good" she smiled softly and the teen threw herself into the blonde's arms in a sisterly hug

That night, Tara had moved Ariel's crib to her room in order to accommodate Dawn in the baby's bedroom.

She had just put her child to sleep when she saw someone standing by the door

"Hey" the slayer greeted quietly

"Hi…back so soon?" the witch snapped and took the comforter off the bed to lie down

"Yeah…it's freezing outside" Faith said sheepishly tucking her hands inside her back pockets

"So I've heard" she smiled honestly seeing that the brunette was trying

"Okay…I just wanted to say goodnight" she turned around timidly

"Faith" Tara called softly

"Yeah?"

"Come here" she motioned for the slayer to move closer

"What? Wanna feel my breath?" she shot defensively

"No silly" she chuckled "I wanna talk" she said tapping the bed next her

"Ok" she bent her knee slightly and sat on the bed facing Tara

"Look, I never lied to you…you know how I feel about Willow" she started gently "we haven't really had…closure and to make things worse, we have a daughter together…" she sighed "Ariel is an eternal bond between us" she closed her eyes and swallowed a lump on her throat "but I don't want you to feel that you are s-s-some sort of…crutch that I'm using to get back on my feet" she explained "I care about you…r-r-really do and I never compared you to her" she offered honestly "I couldn't even if I tried…it's like she's the sun and you're…the moon" she said with a smile "both are beautiful and equally important…and I don't expect the moon to shine like the sun cause then…she'd be the sun" she chuckled when the slayer rolled her eyes "and I don't want the sun right now…I want the moon" she whispered "I want you"

"I'm sorry" Faith sighed and lowered her head "you're right…I couldn't let the brat get to me so easily" she said shaking her head "but I want you to know something…I would never cheat on you" she said honestly "no matter how mad I was, I would never walk into a bar to find a one night stand…not when I have this wonderful woman waiting for…her moon" she winked flirting with the blonde

"Thank you" Tara whispered softly "I needed to hear that"

"You can trust me, Tara" she offered sincerely "I'll never hurt you"

"I know…" the blonde grinned at her "now…you said something about feeling your breath…" she smiled mischievously and leaned over to pull the slayer close for a kiss.

Tara put her arms around Faith's neck and dragged her body down with hers as she fell back on the bed.

Faith's arms were resting on either side of the blonde's face.

Tara bent one knee and positioned a leg around the slayer's thigh, pressing her harder against her body.

Faith moaned and started rocking her hips against Tara's as their kisses heated up

Tara threaded her fingers into Faith's dark locks and moaned loud when she felt the slayer sucking on her pulse point.

Faith's hand started roaming up and down the blonde's body while her tongue experienced the sweetness of her skin. She was unable to contain her arousal, so she dragged Tara's shirt up and pull it completely off her body.

Tara looked at her and smiled shyly giving permission for her to go on.

Faith smiled back and pressed a soft kiss against the blonde's neck, before moving her lips down to her collarbone.

Tara moaned louder when she felt the slayer moving her attention over to her left breast.

Suddenly the brunette realized what she was doing, she was about to make love to Tara. But, even though her whole body was craving for the blonde right now, she felt that it was too soon; she knew the blonde wasn't ready to take their relationship that far yet, so she decided to take a step back.

Tara could sense Faith's thoughts drifting away and used both her hands to cup the brunette's face, locking their eyes together.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently

Faith looked deeply into a pool of blue and was overwhelmed by her feelings

"I love you" she declared openly

Tara felt her heart skipping a beat at the admission. She looked into her girlfriend's eyes and knew it was the truth.

She opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out

"Faith…I…" she tried again

"You don't have to say it back…" the slayer silenced her with a finger "I know you're not there yet…" she dropped her heard and pressed their foreheads together "but I can wait" she smiled and planted a chaste kiss on the blonde's lips. She moved away from Tara and got off the bed "good night, baby" she whispered returning the witch's top she'd thrown across the room

"Would you…" Tara started shyly

"What?" she turned and saw the blonde putting her shirt back on

"Would you stay here tonight?" she asked and blushed "just to h-h-hold me?"

"Of course…" she grinned "let me change…I'll be right back"

She came back five minutes later dressed in an oversized t-shirt and lay back next to the blonde.

Tara snuggled up to her and she wrapped her arms tightly around the witch sending both of them into a peaceful sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Part 14

Daylight came and found Faith and Tara cuddling in bed together. The slayer was the first one to wake up, but she chose not to get up, instead she just lay there quietly stroking the blonde's hair and enjoying the sensation of the witch snuggling against her body with her head resting on her shoulder

"Hey, baby" she called gently causing the blonde to stir "can Barney fly?"

"What?" Tara asked sleepily keeping her eyes closed

"Barney…purple dinosaur" she clarified "can he fly?"

"Not that I'm aware of" the blonde answered giggling

"Then I guess your daughter is awake" Tara's head jerked and Faith nodded to the ceiling. Tara looked up and saw a Barney doll floating over them

"Oh my goddess" she chuckled when she saw Ariel standing on her crib and laughing.

Faith sat up when Tara rolled out of bed

"She's getting stronger" the slayer pointed out and caught the falling toy

"Yes, she is" Tara said picking her toddler from the crib and kissing her good morning

"Kiddo is gonna be the highlight of kindergarten" she said chuckling

"I don't even want to think about that yet" Tara said rolling her eyes "here…change her" she said handing the child and a clean diaper to the slayer "I'll prepare her bottle"

"Fa…fy" the little girl smiled happily

"Okay, let's try to master this…" she said laying the baby down and unbuttoning her pants "it's… 'Faith'" she pronounced it clearly while unfastening the grip

"Fa…fy" the blonde repeated enjoying the game

"Nice…you can float toys but you can't say 'Faith'" she giggled and fastened the clean diaper on

"Hey Tara…" Dawn entered the room but froze when she saw Faith sitting on the bed "oh…you"

"Yeah…me" the slayer retorted and finished buttoning Ariel's pants back on

"Do you sleep her?" the teenager asked in an unsatisfied tone

"Part of girlfriend's privilege" Faith answered with sarcasm but decided to back off and be the grown up "if you're looking for Tara, she's in the kitchen" she informed and the girl turned to leave "hey, kid…wait"

"I'm not a kid" she snapped

"Okay…teen" Dawn rolled her eyes and turned again to leave "wait…wait…" the slayer tried again "hear me out for a second…please" she pled and the girl crossed her arms impatiently "look…let's clear something up" Faith started "you don't like me and I'm not crazy about you…but Tara love's you…and I love Tara" she declared "and for her it's important that we get along well, so I'm willing to try"

"You love Tara?" she asked suspiciously

"I do…I really do" she replied honestly "look…you have every reason to hate me…I did terrible things to your sister…and to your friends, but I've reformed…and my feelings for Tara are real" she said trying to make the girl lower her guard "hey…we don't have to like each other…we just have to try to be civilized" she explained "so what do you say, can we call a truce?" she asked hopefully and saw the girl starting to give in "for Tara's sake?"

"Okay…" Dawn sighed and agreed with the peace offer "for Tara's sake"

"For Tara…" the slayer nodded and sighed in relief

"Mama" Ariel bounced on the bed and clapped happily

"Yeah…mama…for mama" Faith lifted the little girl and kissed her tummy making her laugh

"What does she call you?" Dawn asked joining them in bed

"Oh…I'm 'fafy', Giles is 'papa' and Simone is 'nanny'…" she informed "she's in the two syllable stage" she joked

"Hey…can you say 'Dawn'?" she tried and Ariel giggled jumping on the slayer's lap.

Faith lifted her head and saw Tara standing at the door holding Ariel's bottle; the blonde had a big grin plastered on her face.

The slayer smiled back and nodded when she saw the witch mouthing the words 'thank you' to her

A couple of days later harmony was once again set in motion; Faith and Dawn were making their arrangement work and the white flag was hanging around successfully

"Come on honey…don't be picky" Tara was trying to make Ariel have a vegetable soup "it's tasteful…try it" the little blonde shook her head stubbornly and fidgeted in her highchair with her lips pursed

"No mama" she whined "no wanna"

"Fine" Tara sighed defeated "we'll try again tomorrow"

"Here" Simone handed her a bottle and smirked with a 'told you so' look on her face

"Thanks" Tara narrowed her eyes at the nanny daring her to say a word

"So…" she wisely decided to changed the subject "how are things between you and the slayer?"

"Fine…" Tara answered dumping the soup in the sink "we're ok"

"Alright…I'm curious" she said handing the dish towel to the blonde "does she live to her reputation?"

"What reputation?" the witch asked lifting a curious eyebrow

"Well, you know" she said making a gesture with her hands "people say that she's…'skilled'" she raised both brows funnily "if you know what I mean…"

"Oh…" Tara blushed realizing what she was talking about "well…I can't really answer that"

"I'm sorry, Tara" Simone apologized embarrassedly "I didn't mean to intrude…"

"No…no…it's not that" the witch explained hurriedly "it's just that we haven't…you know"

"No???" the nanny asked surprised

"Not yet" the blonde shook her head mortified

"How long have you guys been together?"

"About a month" Tara answered turning all shades of red "more or less"

"Wow…" Simone leaned against the counter "and you still haven't…?"

"Well…we have done…stuff" Tara said completely abashed "but we haven't gone all the way yet"

"It's nice" the nanny offered trying to put the blonde at ease "you're waiting for the right moment…" she nodded and grinned "it's romantic"

"I guess…" Tara shrugged and smiled self-consciously "but…where have you heard those…comments?"

"Oh…you know…people talk" she said evasively turning her back to the witch

"What people?" Tara raised a suspicious eyebrow sensing that there was something the older woman wasn't telling

"People…just people" she closed her eyes and cursed silently

"Simone, elaborate…" Tara demanded with her arms folded across her chest

"I'm sorry, Tara" the nanny started and turned to look at the blonde "I don't mean to gossip and I certainly don't want to cause any problems between you guys" she sighed "I love you two together" she offered honestly

"You're stalling" the blonde said seriously

"Okay" she sighed dramatically "there is this…rumor…that Faith had got…intimate with a girl from the council" she explained "and let say that this… girl…is not very reserved about that, on the contrary, she loves to brag about this and doesn't waste an opportunity to tell how…'skilled' the slayer is…"

"A girl from the council?" Tara frowned and felt a burning sensation in the pity of her stomach when she saw the nanny nodding positively "who is she?"

"I don't know" Simone shook her head regretting she'd started this conversation "look, Tara…forget about that, okay?" she tried to coax the witch "Faith is crazy about you…even a blind person can see that"

"What's her name?" she insisted causing the nanny to sigh deeply

"I don't know" she lied and received a hard look from the blonde "Aysha…her name's Aysha…something" she informed

Tara suddenly felt very possessive. She didn't like the idea of Faith with someone else, and for the first time in their relationship she experienced the bitter taste of jealousy

"Hey…there you are" Giles said entering the kitchen followed by Dawn. He walked straight to Ariel ignoring the heavy atmosphere in the room

"Papa…milk?" Ariel offered him her bottle

"Oh…no, thank you darling" he chuckled and picked the toddler up

"Hey, Dawn…want a sandwich?" Simone offered trying to give Tara some space to cool off

"Oh, yeah…I'm starving" she answered oblivious to the blonde's turmoil

"Uh, Giles?" Tara called in an upset tone "do you know a woman named Aysha at the council?"

"Huh?" he was so distracted playing with his granddaughter that he didn't notice the blonde's annoyance "oh, yes…very beautiful young lady" he said innocently and received a piece of lettuce Simone threw at him "what?"

"What else do you know about her?" Tara could feel her blood beginning to boil and she was determined to find out everything about this woman

"Uh…not much" he answered cautiously trying to understand what was going on "you should ask Faith, though…they work most of the time together" he informed and saw Simone shaking her head in exasperation

"Is she a potential?" Tara asked sternly

"Uh…no, she works on the stock department" he said alternating his looks between the witches

"Stock?" the blonde felt her guts turn

"Yeah…everything that goes in or out of the council must come through her" he explained

"Hum" Tara lifted an intrigued eyebrow "So, you say…if someone were to sneak something out of there, something like…a book for example…she would know, right?" Tara asked maturing a pretty disturbing idea

"Of course…nothing gets pass her control" he said "she's very organized"

Tara could feel her breath becoming elaborate and her heartbeat accelerating as she remembered the day the slayer gifted her with the special book, right before their first kiss

"_How did you do it? Didn't anybody notice?"_

"_As matter of fact only one person did…but she won't say a word" _

"_How can you be so sure?" _

"_Well, let's say that I…ahem…talked to her" _

Tara felt her head spinning. She didn't know why she felt so possessive, so angry about something that happened in the past, but the truth is she couldn't stand the idea of her girlfriend hooking up with another woman…she was jealous

"Why all these questions, dear?" Giles asked breaking her reverie

"Uh…nothing" she shook her head dismissively "do you mind watching Ariel for a second?" she asked grabbing her coat and scarf

"Of course not" he furrowed his brows in confusion

"Where are you going?" Simone asked with her eyes popping wide open

"Field research" she answered and left with a resolved look on her face

"Oh bugger" the nanny sighed and shook her head knowing that things were going to get ugly


	15. Chapter 15

Part 15

After wandering around the council's corridors, Tara finally reached her destination. She got inside a giant room filled with several stacks of boxes and bookshelves very well distributed and organized. Looking around, she saw someone standing up on a ladder taking notes on a clipboard

"Hi" she called up

"May I help you?" the woman answered without taking her eyes off her work

"I'm looking for Faith" Tara said and saw the woman stop her writing and look at her suspiciously

"And who may I say is calling?" she asked warily

"It's Tara" the blonde replied strongly, feeling annoyed by the territorial look on the woman's face.

Tara watched her coming down the ladder, leaping the last three steps offering a clear view of her lean shape.

She was wearing a slim fit, low waist pair of bootcut jeans and a tight tank top that left most of her toned abdomen exposed.

The woman was gorgeous and had a very intimidating gaze.

She was tall, dark skinned and had long dark hair tied up in a single ponytail; her eyes were a beautiful shade of brown and Tara could notice that she had a belly button piercing

"Tara?" she asked sizing the witch up and down "the girlfriend Tara?"

"And you are?" the blonde decided she wasn't going to let herself be intimated that easily, so she straightened up her posture and cast an unfriendly look of her own

"Aysha Davis" she leered sensing the blonde was up to a challenge "you know…you're nothing like I imagined you'd be" she teased

"Oh…and why is that?" Tara decided to take the bait and see how far she'd go

"Let's say you're not the kind of girl I figured Faith would fall for" she said obnoxiously

"And how do you know the type of girl she likes?" Tara asked narrowing her eyes provocatively

"Believe me…I do" she retorted sarcastically and before the witch could respond she turned her head to the back of the room and shouted "Faith, someone here to see you"

The slayer came to the front and smiled happily when she saw her visitor. Aysha watched the grin forming on the slayer's lips and looked back to the blonde winking scornfully

"Nice meeting you" she sneered at the witch who felt like hitting the girl

Faith caught the pissed look that passed over Tara's face and intercepted Aysha on her way out

"Behave" she whispered warningly and proceeded to meet her girlfriend "hey, baby" she said kissing Tara's lips "that's a nice surprise"

"Yeah…I was in the neighborhood" she lied

"Aren't you on holiday from the university?" she asked a little confused

"I am…I j-j-just went for a w-w-walk" she stuttered avoiding Faith's eyes

"You went for a walk in the snow?" she asked picking on the blonde's uneasiness

"Yes" Tara shrugged and started pacing the room checking the books "you know…just wanted to see where you work"

"Where I work?" the slayer was getting very suspicious

"Sure…see what you do, meet your coworkers…" she said trying to sound nonchalant

"Why would you wanna meet a group of old, fat and bald watchers?" she asked furrowing her brows

"You don't work exclusively with watchers …" she said and received a raised eyebrow "t-t-there are the potential s-s-slayers…for example"

"You mean a bunch of fifteen-year-old wannabe's?" she was trying to understand what was going on

"Not all your colleagues are under aged" she narrowed her eyes at where Aysha had disappeared to

"Oh…" Faith nodded realizing what the problem was

"Yeah" Tara nodded as well "she's very beautiful"

"Are you kidding me? She's hot…" Faith snorted and Tara looked very unpleased "hey…I ain't blind" she replied defensively

"I can see that" the blonde folded her arms and glared at her girlfriend

"What?" she asked confused and then it hit her "are you jealous???" she grinned

"Did you sleep with her?" she decided to cut to the chase

"Yes" she replied honestly and saw the blonde's jaw muscles clenching tightly "right after I arrived here" she explained hurriedly "and right before I fell madly in love with you" she smiled when she saw her girl relaxing

"I'm sorry" Tara sighed a little embarrassed "it's just…she's so…and you…" she sighed again "I mean look at her…like you said, she's hot" she admitted and saw the slayer grinning like a fool "what?"

"Are you in love with me?" Faith asked directly

"What if I am?" she met the brunette's gaze

"Then I'll be the happiest slayer in the whole world" she declared with a gleam in her eyes

"There are only two slayers in the world, smart ass" she rolled her eyes giggling at the brunette's antics

"Then I'm definitely the happiest one of them" she declared solemnly and slid an arm around the blonde's waist pulling her into a passionate kiss

Two weeks later, not only Dawn but also Giles and Faith took a plane heading back to LA.

The slayer had received a call from Angel asking for her help, and as she was on parole, she couldn't travel unsupervised and that's why Giles went along.

Dawn returned to Sunnydale sworn to secrecy about Ariel's existence and she decided it would be better not to mention Tara's new relationship as well.

Tara remained in England with Ariel and Simone.

The blonde witch had just put Ariel to sleep when the phone rang

"Hello" she answered softly

"_Hey baby"_ Faith greeted hoarsely

"Hi" she replied with a smile on her voice

"_Did I wake you?"_ the slayer asked sheepishly

"No…I've just put Ariel down to sleep" she informed resting against the headboard of the bed

"_So…what are you doing?"_ Faith asked teasingly

"I'm preparing material for the classes" she replied with a smirk

"_Oh, stop it…you naughty-naughty woman"_ the brunette used a sultry voice causing the blonde to laugh

"How are things with Angel?" she asked giggling

"_Hectic…"_ she explained _"prom queen is having mighty headaches and keeping us busy"_

"God…is she okay?" the blonde frowned worried

"_Yeah…it's just this big demon that's messing with her head"_ the slayer said referring to Cordelia's visions _"and things seems to be a little shaken between Angel and B…" _she informed without much explanation_ "so, I'm the second best choice to help him slay it"_

"You're not a second choice, Faith" Tara said catching the dejected tone in her girlfriend's voice

"_Yeah, I am…but I'm okay with that"_ the brunette tried to sound nonchalant

"On being a 'second choice'?" Tara questioned with her brows furrowed "I don't buy that"

"_Well, I'm trying to grow up"_ she snapped and regretted immediately _"besides B is the original slayer…" _she said trying to cover her outburst _"you gotta respect hierarchy"_

"Are you ok?" Tara asked sensing the slayer's down mood

"_A little cranky…"_ she confessed with a sigh _"I miss you"_

"I miss you too" the blonde admitted truthfully and smiled picturing the grin on her girlfriend's face

They talked for about twenty minutes, but it was time enough for Tara to realize how much she'd grown attached to the slayer. The brunette was gone for three days and it felt like months; she could no longer deny her feelings. What she needed now was to work up the courage to voice them to her girlfriend.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door

"Come in" she called

"Hey" Simone poked her head inside "I brought some tea" she said revealing a tray

"Fabulous" she grinned "you're adorable"

"Hum…not so much" she said pouring some tea for the blonde "are you ok?"

"Thank you" she took the cup and sipped it "why do you ask?"

"You look like you could use some talking" she offered and tried the hot liquid

"As a matter of fact…" she placed the cup on the nightstand "it's a little busy in here" she said touching her temple

"Care to share?" she offered the blonde her undivided attention

"It's…uh…not easy" she sighed and saw the nanny nodding encouragingly "I'm afraid I'm messing things up between me and Faith"

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"No…" Tara sighed "but I feel that my insecurities and inner demons are keeping her at a distance. And I don't know how much longer she's willing to wait...you know?"

"Do you love her?" she asked directly

"I do…but I don't seem to be able to admit that" she confessed a little embarrassed

"Admit it to her or to yourself?"

"What do you mean?" she frowned

"you're scared" the nanny said "you're afraid to let go of your past…and deep down in your heart you feel as if you're cheating on Willow" she smiled "am I right?"

"Perhaps…" she smiled shyly "Willow was the first person who's ever made me feel special…before her I felt…invisible" she sighed and felt the tears burning behind her eyes "I always believed that there's only one right person for you out there…and when I met Willow, I knew she was the one" she told "I knew she was my soul mate and that we were destined to be together…forever" she felt a tear sliding down her cheek "maybe that's why I felt so hurt, so betrayed from what she did…I felt that I'd lost my only chance for happiness" her heart constricted at the painful memories "but then…"

"Then you met a hard-head, wise-ass, mule-stubborn but adorable slayer who shook you up" Simone said rolling her eyes and giggling

"Yes…" Tara admitted with a small smile "she made me feel again…she made me realize I still have a chance to be happy"

"And now you're feeling...guilty" she concluded

"Exactly" she nodded in agreement and dried her face

"May I speak frankly?" the nanny asked biting the inside of her cheek

"Please" Tara said running both hands through her hair

"you're right" she nodded and stood from the bed "Willow is your soul mate…she's the one destined to be at your side" she said pacing in front of the blonde "but she's not the right person for you right now" she stopped and sat down again "you're hurt, you need to heal…you need to fix you heart before exposing it to her again" she saw the blonde furrowing her brows and listening attentively "you have to prove to yourself that you can be happy without her" she said seriously "because only then you will have the courage to face up your past and tell Willow about your daughter" she pointed out "open up your heart and admit your feelings" she recommended "first to yourself and then to Faith...what she feels for you is real and what you guys have is worth working through" she smiled and saw the blonde considering her words "think about that and call me if you need anything" she took the tray and stood up walking to the door

"Thank you" Tara whispered and the nanny nodded

"Goodnight my child" she bid it and left, leaving the blonde to process their chat


	16. Author's Note

Hey guys...

Sorry for the long wait, but I was on vacation…(happy face!)

I'm working on the final chapter and I hope to be posting it soon, very soon.

Hang in there folks cause it'll be worthwhile!!!

You guys are the best!!!

Thank you all,

WA


	17. Chapter 17

_Okay People,_

_Sorry for the delay…hope you like it!!!_

_Let me know what you think…_

_Enjoy,_

_WA_

Part 16

_Tara found herself walking down the UC Sunnydale halls. She checked her surrounds anxiously and realized that she was alone_

"_Why?" she heard a whisper echoing through the empty corridors_

"_H-hello?" she called looking around but couldn't find anybody_

"_Why?" she heard the whisper again and spun fast. _

_When she turned around she noticed that she was at her old dorm room_

"_What…" she felt her breath become erratic_

"_You had no right" Tara heard someone speaking behind her and whirled_

"_Willow???" she saw the redhead standing by the window at their old room in Buffy's house_

"_She's my daughter" Willow hissed angrily and Tara saw that her eyes were black "you had no right"_

"_Y-y-you d-d-don't understand" she stammered nervously_

"_You betrayed me" she moved closer to Tara who started to back away from her "you took my daughter away from me"_

"_I had to…" she shot tearfully "y-y-you were unstable" Willow continued advancing as Tara backed up again "you're g-g-going to h-h-hurt her"_

"_Liar" the redhead stopped and glared sternly at the blonde "you love someone else" Tara suddenly noticed that she was at the magic box. _

_She turned around again and saw Willow standing in front of her holding an unconscious Faith in a tight grip. _

_She gasped when she noticed that the witch was pressing a knife against the slayer's throat_

"_Faith" Tara cried alarmed and tried to reach them but Willow blinked out and repapered on the other side of the room "don't hurt her…" she pled in tears "Willow, please…don't hurt her"_

"_I can't let her have you" she narrowed her eyes at the blonde "you're mine" she declared sternly and in a single motion slit the brunette's throat_

"_NO…" Tara shouted and fell to her knees crying "Faith…Faith" she called and felt strong arms enlacing her_

"Shh...it's okay, baby…I'm here" the brunette whispered and rubbed her hands on the blonde's back in a soothing gesture "it was just a dream…everything is okay now"

"S-s-she…sh-she killed you" she said between sobs "I t-t-tried…I tried to stop her"

"Shh…it's okay" she tightened her hold and kissed Tara's hair softly "nobody killed me…I'm right here"

"It was so real" she sighed and wrapped her arms tightly around the slayer

"It was just a nightmare, ok?" Faith rocked their bodies and planted butterfly kisses on the blonde's head waiting for the sobs to subside

After a little while Tara sniffed and broke their embrace. She sat up and dried her face suddenly realizing something

"When did you arrive?" she asked confused

"About an hour ago" the brunette chuckled "but I didn't have the heart to wake you, so I just sat here and watched your beauty" she admitted with a smile "hi…"

"Hi" Tara grinned back

"Wanna talk about the dream?" she offered tucking a lock of blonde hair behind the witch's ear

"No" the blonde shook her head trying to erase the image of the blade cutting the girl's throat "oh my god…you're hurt!" her eyes bulged as she noticed an ugly bruise on the slayer's left cheek

"Nah…" she said dismissively "you should've seen the other guy"

"Was it the demon?" Tara asked concernedly

"yeah…it took us a week to track him down" she explained "and about two hours to slay it" she stood up from the bed and stretched her arms over her head "he put one hell of a fight" she said rolling her shoulders "I'm all sore"

"Why didn't you stay and rest?" she questioned intrigued

"Cause I had to see you" the slayer said kneeling on the bedside "or I'd loose my mind" she confessed huskily and saw a smile forming on the blonde's features

"I missed you" Tara whispered honestly touching the brunette's bruised face

"I love you" Faith declared and moved forward to kiss the blonde softly

The next morning all five inhabitants of the house were gathered in the kitchen for brunch

"That's how we finally figured what Cordelia's visions actually meant" Giles explained "and then we located the demon so Faith and Angel could go there to do the…muscle part" he finished sipping his juice

"Wow…it seems that you two had a pretty good time" Simone teased and started clearing the table

"Oh, indeed" Giles said with a provocative smirk "but the best part was watching Faith go Avril Lavigne on the stage"

"Hey…" the slayer retorted indignantly

"You sang????" Tara asked wide eyed

"We all HAD to" she shot Giles a murdering glare

"Oh my god" Simone was laughing so hard that her eyes were beginning to tear up "I would've paid to see that"

"What did you sing?" Tara asked amazed

"Sk8er boy…" she answered with a sigh

"I didn't know you liked Avril…" the blonde shook her head wishing she'd seen the brunette's performance

"She's ok…" Faith said shrugging "besides, Evanescence was taken" she threw an accusative look at Giles but left humming the song she'd sang on the stage causing a new round of giggles

"She's changed" Giles declared soberly

"Yes she is" Tara agreed

"I must confess that I wasn't entirely convinced" he admitted honestly "but after spending this week with her I have to give in" he removed his glasses and smiled at Tara "you helped her"

"She helped me" she replied firmly

"Indeed" he nodded and put his glasses back on "I can see clearly now that you are good for each other"

"Are you giving me your blessing?" she teased flashing her trademark grin

"Uh…well" he cleared his throat and squirmed a little embarrassed. Tara stood up, bent over and kissed him softly on the cheek

"Thank you" she whispered and left the kitchen grinning happily

Tara walked quietly into the garage where Faith was doing some stretches on a floor mat

She leaned against the wall silently watching her girlfriend exercising

Faith had her back to the door and, as she was so concentrated in relaxing her tensed muscles, she didn't acknowledge the blonde's presence

Tara took advantage of her anonymousness to appreciate the brunette's features. Her eyes traveled up and down the slayer's body admiring her athletic biceps and well-built back

She felt a desire burning her core and her body temperature rising as her imagination started setting off images and very sexy thoughts of a sweaty Faith rubbing against her own burning skin

She blinked a couple of times and shook her head to erase the images; she needed to work some things out before taking their relationship to a new level.

She pushed away from the wall and cleared her throat in order to get the brunette's attention

"Hi" Faith turned around a little surprised "how long have you been there?"

"Not long…" she swallowed dryly and took a long calming breath trying to get rid of the flush caused by the lusty thoughts "we n-need to talk"

"Shit…" Faith shook her head and felt her heartbeat increase as she misinterpreted the blonde's uncomfortableness "what did I do wrong?"

"What?" Tara asked confused "why do you think you did something wrong?"

"Because when someone begins a conversation with 'we need to talk'…it's time for me to pack my stuff and hit the road" she said getting up from the floor

"Not this time" Tara moved closer "you did nothing wrong" she took the slayer's hand in hers and smiled sweetly "I just want to talk to you"

"Okay" she nodded slowly and relaxed enjoying the blonde's touch "talk away"

"Not now" she smiled teasingly "take me out tonight"

"On a date?" she lifted a questioning eyebrow

"Yes" Tara nodded and wiggled her brows playfully

"Okay…where do you wanna go?" she asked joining the teasing mood

"I feel like dancing" the blonde lifted her arms and swayed her hips from side to side.

Faith's eyes bulged and she laughed at her comical expression

"Dancing, huh?" the slayer narrowed her eyes and the witch nodded positively "I think I know just the right place" she said and both girls smiled eagerly waiting for the upcoming night

Later that night the girls entered hand in hand into a crowded dancing club. Faith led them to a quieter corner

"Do you wanna a beer?" she offered

"Water" Tara answered with a grin "sparkling"

"Be right back" the slayer moved to the bar and returned a few minutes later carrying a bottle of sparkling water in one hand and a beer in the other.

She walked towards her girlfriend but was intercepted by a beautiful redhead

"Look what cat's brought in…" the woman said standing in front of Faith

"Brenda, hi…" Faith smiled recognizing the woman but squirmed when she caught a sharp glare being shot towards her "uh…how are you?"

"I'm ok…" she nodded "what about you?" she asked checking the slayer up and down "it's been a while"

"Yeah…been busy" she answered simply

"So…you here by yourself?" the redhead asked in a sultry voice

"Uh…nope" she shook her finger and pointed behind the woman.

Brenda turned around and saw Tara moving to join them

"This is my girlfriend, Tara" Faith introduced proudly "baby, this is Brenda"

"Nice to meet you" Tara greeted politely

"Same here" Brenda nodded and shook Tara's hand "wow…please, don't get me wrong, but…" she lifted her hands defensively "I wouldn't figure you as a 'going steady' kinda girl"

"Yeah…what can I say?" Faith shrugged and slipped one arm around the witch's waist "love can play tricks on you…"

"So I see…" she shook her head as if not believing her eyes and ears "anyway, it was nice meeting you" she smiled to Tara who nodded in return "and you" she addressed to Faith "don't be a stranger" she winked flirtingly at the slayer and left

The brunette closed her eyes and shook her head chuckling at the teasing, when she opened them she saw Tara looking suspiciously at her

"What?" she asked and handed the water to the blonde

"Do you miss that?" she questioned lifting an intrigued brow

"Miss what?" Faith asked sipping her own beverage

"This…" Tara opened one arm showing the place "the parties, the people, the flirting…"

"Sometimes" she answered truthfully "but to be honest, I never thought I'd enjoy so much staying home on a Friday night just eating popcorn and watching Disney cartoons" she admitted rolling her eyes as if not believing her own words

"Promise?" Tara asked trying to fish for one last confirmation of the slayer's feelings

"Scout's honor" she answered with the scout's gesture making Tara laugh

"You're not a boy scout" she said giggling

"Details…" she shrugged "the important thing is that I love you and I'd trade anything, anytime just to spend a night with you and the kid" she answered honestly oblivious to the fact that she was secretly being tested

"Good answer" Tara grinned satisfied and pulled the slayer close for a kiss.

When they parted a new song started

"Wow…salsa!!!!" Faith said excited moving her body in the rhythm of the music "come on, let's dance"

She place their drinks on a nearby table, took Tara by the hand and guided her to the dance floor.

The girls started performing a group of combining moves in the salsa cadence.

Their movements were in perfect sync complementing each other's steps; while Faith moved her left foot forward, Tara moved her right foot back and vice versa. Their hips swung sensually creating a very sexy rhythm.

They kept their sensual dance for two or three songs before the DJ turned to a slow one.

Faith wrapped her hands around Tara's waist and the blonde enlaced her arms over the slayer's shoulders

"So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Faith asked curiously

"I want to thank you" Tara replied softly

"What for?" she furrowed her brows in confusion

"For showing me that I could still be happy" she explained

"I did that?" she opened her eyes in surprise

"yeah…" she nodded "you know…sometimes I…I find myself smiling for no apparent reason" she closed her eyes and blushed "and then I realize that I'm…I'm thinking about you" she took a deep breath and gathered the courage to admit her feelings "it was all so sudden…I wasn't expecting anything like that and…I have to admit that I was afraid…afraid to let go of my past, to…to expose myself and risk getting hurt again…" she sighed "I nearly pulled back, I…I almost said no to you"

"Why didn't you?" the slayer could hear her heart thundering inside her chest

"I don't know…maybe it was the way you look at me" she said locking eyes with her girlfriend "the way you talk to me…your slightly husky voice saying nice things to seduce me" she smirked wrinkling her nose and unconsciously pulled their bodies closer swaying with the soft music "I'm sorry I held back for so long, but I'm done thinking, Faith…" she said feeling her eyes welling up "I want to give myself to you…completely"

"Are you saying…" the slayer couldn't believe her ears. She felt her mouth go dry and her legs begin to quiver with anticipation

"I love you, Faith…" the blonde finally admitted it "I can't deny it anymore, neither to myself nor to you"

"I…I think I've never been this happy before…" Faith felt her heart skipping a beat at her girlfriend's words "I feel like I'm floating…like I'm gonna burst with such joy"

"Take me home" the witch whispered with her voice an octave below normal.

The slayer nodded mutely; her heart was beating so fast that she was afraid it would jump out of her chest if she opened her mouth to speak

The house was empty; Giles had taken Ariel and Simone to spend the weekend at his cottage.

The girls walked hand in hand to Tara's bedroom both feeling very nervous and excited at the same time.

Faith stopped at the foot of the bed and cupped Tara's face gently

"If you want to stop…just say the word, ok?" she spoke softly

Tara nodded and leaned in to capture the brunette's lips

The kiss was slow and sensual, both women savoring the passion emanating from each other's mouth

Soon things started to heat up. Tara's hands moved towards the slayer's back bringing their bodies together and causing their hips to thrust their lower bodies against one another.

Their desire was beginning to take charge but Faith decided to slow things down and pulled back gently.

She locked her gaze with the blonde and smiled; she wanted to show her girlfriend how much she loved her.

She took a deep breath to compose herself and let her hands slowly slide down to Tara's hips.

Her fingers moved under the blonde's shirt touching the bare skin of her belly. Tara's body jerked in response and she sucked in a quick breath.

Faith felt it and almost stopped her ministrations, but Tara sensed her hesitation and sent an okay sign by kissing her softly.

The slayer smiled and started unbuttoning the blonde's blouse, planting kisses on the spots the buttons used to be.

Tara closed her eyes and moaned softly feeling her skin burning with desire where the other girl's lips touched her.

After removing the blouse, Faith lowered the satin bra straps and took the garment off, letting it fall to the floor gently. She then moved next to the blonde's jeans and panties stripping her girl gracefully.

When she finished undressing the witch, the slayer took in the sight before her and licked her dry lips

"So beautiful" she whispered in adoration. Tara blushed and felt as though she were being worshipped.

Faith smiled at blonde's cuteness

"I love you" she professed.

Tara's heart melted at the passionate words and she moved closer to capture the brunette's mouth in a sweet kiss. She let it last for a while and pulled back a little

"I love you, too" she said it back and smiled feeling a rush of emotion run through her body.

Faith felt it too and wrapped her arms around the witch bringing their bodies together again.

She leaned her head forward and started planting sweet kisses against the tender skin on the blonde's throat.

Tara's heart began to pump furiously when she felt Faith's tongue licking and sucking her pulse point; she let out a soft groan as a slow burn ignited between her legs.

Faith pulled their bodies even closer pressing the witch's naked center to her own, and felt a tremor run through her.

She new she wouldn't be able to continue standing much longer so, she slowly began leaning Tara's back towards the bed.

She laid the blonde down carefully and in a quick motion got rid of her own clothes exposing herself to her girlfriend's admiration.

Tara smiled appreciatively and pulled the slayer on top of her intertwining their legs.

Both women gasped at the contact of their naked crotches and instinctively began to rub against one another in a slow sensual dance of sex and love.

The slayer and the witch spent the whole night discovering and exploring each other's most intimate spots, and finally sealing a relationship that would mend their broken hearts.

The End.


End file.
